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India calls for a global code of conduct on pilot poaching

India has raised concerns about the rapid growth of its aviation system being stunted by poaching Indian pilots and crew members without proper notice. India, which is one of the fastest-growing aviation market in the world, struggles with a lack of experienced pilots. This has a negative impact on Prime Minister Narendra modi's ambition to create a global aviation hub that would create jobs. Air India's fatal crash has led to a tighter look at the aviation sector.

India stated in a working paper it submitted to the U.N. agency for aviation, the International Civil Aviation Organization, on August 1, that foreign airlines were repeatedly hiring Indian airline staff. This "adversely impacts India's capacity to develop its aviation sector in a systematic manner."

India reported in the newspaper that "Airlines (from other countries) tend to hire experienced pilots and engineers from Indian carriers. This prevents India's civil aircraft sector from achieving a planned and ordered growth." The paper did not name any specific foreign airline.

This practice creates an endless cycle in which Indian carriers must constantly recruit and train replacement staff by diverting their resources away from expansion activities and improvements to operational efficiency.

The paper was published on the ICAO's website in advance of its triennial meeting. This was not reported before.

The Indian Civil Aviation Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

In April, the Indian government announced that the country will need 30,000 pilots in the next 15 years. This is up from the current 6,700-7,000. Airlines have collectively ordered more than 1,700 planes. IndiGo and Air India are the leaders in India's domestic airline sector, but all of the major international airlines operate regular flights. Air India and Akasa Air exchanged barbs in 2023 over the poaching domestically of pilots.

The working document calls for the creation a code on conduct regarding the movement of aviation professionals among ICAO member countries.

The code of conduct is not specified.

The paper stated that "these challenges affect Indian carriers' abilities to compete on international markets... and achieve their ambitious target of 300 millions domestic passengers by 2030."

ICAO was formed in 1944 after the United States invited over 50 allies to create a common system of air navigation. (Allison Lampert, in Montreal, and Aditya Kahra in New Delhi. Mark Potter (Editing)

(source: Reuters)