ALPA Blames Anti-Competitive Practices for Indian Pilot Shortage

The Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA) says that the shortage of pilots in India is not because pilots are too tired, but because of unfair business practices.

They say that training for pilots is very expensive, from 60 lakh to 1.25 crore rupees, which is much higher than the 20 lakh rupees for international training.

ALPA also says that big airlines might have agreements not to hire each other's pilots, which limits job opportunities.

They think this keeps pilot salaries low even though airlines are making a lot of money.

ALPA wants the government to look into these problems and make training cheaper, shorten notice periods, and let pilots move between airlines more easily.

They also want to check if airlines are really following competition laws.

The airline IndiGo's boss said that rules about how long pilots can fly should be reviewed, but ALPA disagrees and says it would hurt safety.

The main point is that ALPA believes the real problem is how airlines do business, not how much pilots have to rest.