Boom in pilot and cabin crew employment even as airlines continue to bleed

This is primarily on account of the higher number of aircraft flying in Indian skies; maintenance crew numbers are down drastically

Air passenger traffic has increased by three fourths since 2014-15, to touch the 120 million mark in 2017-18. Almost all operational parameters of India’s airlines -- from the number of available seats, to departures, to aircraft fleet -- have grown more during this period than they have in the past. The finances of airlines are bleeding due to high aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices. But that hasn’t curbed hiring of more people, especially in certain job categories. While pilot and cabin crew strength has risen across the board, maintenance crew haven’t been as lucky.

According to the Ministry of Civil