Being a pilot is one of the most respected and promising careers in the world. A pilot is a person who is qualified to handle the controls of an aircraft and fly and navigate the aircraft from place to place safely. While the job profile is highly demanding in terms of mental faculties of a person, it is also very satisfying professionally. The broad categorisation of pilots in the world are commercial pilots, private pilots and military pilots. Here we will discuss more about the life and career path of a commercial pilot in India.

It is indeed a tenuous responsibility to carry a large number of passengers who have whole-sole confidence in your capabilities as a Pilot. At the same time, it is very gratifying to know that you are part of an extremely elite club of professionals who can do what they do. As per various estimates only 0.6 to 0.7 percent of the world’s population are pilots, and less than half of that i.e., 0.3 to 0.4 percent are commercial pilots.In India there are approximately 15,000 to 20,000 pilots from a population of 1.41 billion, which makes them only 0.0015% of the total population. One can only imagine the exclusivity of being a commercial pilot in India.

Apart from being a very respected profession, being a pilot also gets you enormous perks in terms of a high salary and comprehensive insurance & travel benefits package, along with the luxury of paid time-off because as per Civil Aviation rules pilots can only fly for 15 – 20 days in a month. 

The qualifying procedure for becoming a pilot is quite different from the procedure based on competitive exams for say JEE, NEET or NDA. One is supposed to simply apply to Director General of Civil Aviation for a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) after completing all the tests, exams and flying requirements proscribed by the DGCA. It is this completing of the laid down ‘requirements’ which takes a little time. 

Once you make up your mind to become a pilot, irrespective of whether you are a student or a working professional, you will have to dedicate your time to first passing the DGCA written exams and then completing 200 hours of flying. Once you complete all the requirements and are also declared medically fit, the DGCA will issue you a CPL. Though that is one of the best feelings in the world, the best is yet to come!

After you have a CPL in your hand, you can apply for jobs as pilots in the various Airlines which are constantly on the lookout for qualified pilots because of the ongoing massive expansion in the Indian Aviation Industry. You can also seek jobs with charter companies and private entities to fly their planes as a commercial pilot. Another option is to join any flying school to build up your hours and instructional experience while being paid for it. Hereon we will focus only on jobs for pilots in the Airline Industry in India. 

The first step for joining an Airlines pilot is an application, which is generally followed by an Interview. The Airlines Interview mostly consists of an exam where basic questions from CPL exam syllabus are asked, and also a psychometric test to assess personality. These tests/exams are finally followed by an interview with the recruiting panel. 

Once you clear the interview, you are issued with a Letter of Intent (LOI) by the Airline and you can join the Airline on the date given in the LOI. At first you join an Airline as a Junior First Officer (JFO) or a Trainee First Officer, the terminology depending on which Airline you choose to join. On joining as a JFO you start earning a stipend which varies from ₹1 Lakh to ₹1.5 Lakhs per month, again depending on which Airline you choose to join. As a JFO, you are an under-trainee pilot who will be taught about the large passenger aircraft which you are going to fly.  The rank of JFO lasts with you for approximately 5-6 months after which you get promoted to the rank of a First Officer. The starting pay of a First Officer varies anywhere between ₹24 Lakhs to ₹30 Lakhs per annum depending on the Airline, which continues to increase as your flying experience increases.

As you keep growing in your career as a commercial pilot and complete 1500 hours of flying, which takes around 2 to 3 years, you can pass additional tests and exams of DGCA and obtain an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL). Obtaining an ATPL is very easy because you have already been an experienced professional pilot for sometime. Airlines are always on the lookout for ATPL holders as they can be employed as a Captain while flying an aircraft. 

While a First Officer is qualified only for co-pilot duties, it is the Captain who acts as a Pilot-in-Command, and is responsible for the overall technical & administrative management of a flight along with its safety & security. That is why, any pilot in the rank of a Captain, is paid a handsome salary. Captains in India are today earning salaries to the tune of anywhere between ₹ 7 Lakhs to ₹8.5 Lakhs per month, which in turn amounts to a package of approximately ₹80 Lakhs to ₹90 Lakhs per annum.

Once you become a Captain then there is no looking back. As you keep gaining flying experience, you can upgrade your qualifications as a Type Rated Instructor or a Type Rated Examiner, which further keep adding to the salary and perks you get.

All in all, being a commercial pilot is a very respectable and highly remunerative profession. It gets you an unmatched lifestyle, along with a very good work-life balance, apart from the adventure and thrill of being a ‘WanderPhile’.

Wishing you blue skies, safe flying and happy landings… always !

-Team SkyWize