Air India will require more than 6,500 pilots for 470 planes

Air India will require more than 6,500 pilots to operate 470 aircraft that are to be supplied by Airbus and Boeing in the coming years, according to industry sources.

Seeking to expand its fleet as well as operations, the airline has placed orders for acquiring a total of 840 aircraft that include an option to buy 370 planes. This is one of the largest aircraft orders by any airline.

Currently, Air India has around 1,600 pilots to operate its 113 aircraft fleet and in recent times, there have been instances of ultra-long-haul flights getting canceled or delayed due to a shortage of crew.