Is pilot shortage holding back Akasa Air and India's aviation sector from taking off?
Akasa Air, the latest addition to India’s list of airlines, had been flying high following its launch last year. Recently, however, it has hit some turbulence, as dozens of pilots walked out, leading to hundreds of cancelled flights and angry customers.
Experts say the challenge Akasa is facing only highlights what is set to become a much bigger problem in India, as airlines expand rapidly to meet rising demand in one of the world's fastest growing aviation markets – but the availability of trained staff is failing to keep pace.
“Most of the players in the sector have a huge expansion plan, which would require a large base of skilled people including pilots, cabin crew and other operating staff,” says Manish Chowdhury, head of research at broker StoxBox.
“With the pace of supply of pilots lagging the demand in a big way, we expect this scramble for pilots to intensify.”
