1250 active aircraft will require between 10,000 – 12,500 pilots, commanders and first officers combined. Assuming a 50:50 split between captains and first officers, and ignoring training captains, India will need an additional of around 2,750 captains and 2,750 first officers in 6 years, assuming no pilots leave the country for foreign airlines. Today, there are around 4000-4,500 pilots : captains and first officers together – who fly domestic aircraft in India.
The Flying Engineer 
