India mulls simulator-heavy MPL pilot licence to ease crew shortage amid training concerns

New Delhi: An Indian government panel has proposed a new pilot licence option that would shift more training into simulators and cut the time cadets spend flying real aircraft as it aims to ease a pilot shortage, a draft report shows. The Multi-Crew Pilot Licence (MPL) under discussion was introduced by the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization in 2006 and adopted by many countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East in addition to traditional pilot-training pathways. India is now considering the licence to build a more predictable pipeline of junior pilots trained for individual carriers as airlines expand their fleets, according to an unpublished 19-page draft report dated June 3 reviewed by Reuters. Under the proposed plan, cadets would complete 100 to 120 hours in training aircraft, including at least 20 hours solo, compared with at least 200 hours under India's existing rules. Much of the remaining practical training would be conducted in commercial jet simulators under an alternative route the draft said "may shorten timeline for cadets." "If implemented with strong regulatory oversight and industry collaboration ... (the new licensing route) can reduce manpower shortages," the government panel's draft report said. The report was prepared by a committee headed by a senior official of India's aviation regulator that included representatives from IndiGo, Air India and flight-training organisations. Airlines have been asked to respond to the plan, after which the committee is likely to submit a final report to the head of the regulator. IndiGo, Air India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation did not respond to requests for comment. Pilot shortage India faces a pilot shortage, with its largest airline, IndiGo, having just 7.6 pilots per narrowbody plane, the report said, well below the global average of around 10. IndiGo in December cancelled thousands of flights after it failed to plan adequately for new rules limiting pilots’ working hours, leaving it short of pilots. The MPL, used for co-pilot hires at carriers including Qatar Airways and Europe's easyJet, is less portable between airlines in the early stages of a pilot's career and could help ease Indian carriers' turnover concerns. The government proposal said greater reliance on simulators could "lower operational risk" while giving cadets more focused practice in handling critical and emergency situations. The option does not reduce training rigor and only redistributes training emphasis toward structured simulation, it added, saying it should not be "misunderstood as a shortcut due to lower aircraft flight hours." The plan, however, has already drawn some concerns, with the Association of Flight Training Organisations saying cutting time in real aircraft could weaken cadets' hands-on flying skills and judgement in unexpected situations, according to a letter dated June 9. The group has asked the regulator to mandate at least 150 hours in actual aircraft, instead of the 100 to 120 hours proposed in the draft. The draft report itself acknowledged that some pilots could have "weaker hands-on flying instincts and less confidence handling unexpected situations independently." IndiGo backed the pilot licensing proposal during consultations in August, an email shows, with Ashim Mittra, the airline's senior vice president of flight operations, writing that MPL was needed to "support the growth of aviation whilst ensuring safety as the bedrock."