Shortage of pilots: IAF to fill in for A-I

In a move that will ease shortage of pilots for Air-India, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has agreed to allow its officers to join the national carrier. In another step that will unify the country's aviation sector, the air force plans to share air strips, radars and other infrastructure with the civilian authorities.

Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major, announcing this at his maiden press conference today, said initially 20 IAF pilots who wanted to pursue another career would be allowed to join the airlines.

"We can always review how many and how often we can spare talent for the national carrier,'' he said. Air-India faces a shortage of 118 pilots.

"It will be a second career for our pilots and the scheme will commence soon," Major said. According to top IAF officials, the rank of the pilots to be released would range from group captains to air vice marshals with experience of 3,000 to 4,000 flying hours.

In the past, the IAF has resisted efforts by its pilots to leave the force for greener pastures in the civilian sector. Out of an estimated 200-300 pilots who sought release, only a handful were allowed to leave.

The air chief said besides this, the national carriers would be allowed to use technical airports, which were under exclusive control of the IAF, and other infrastructure. This would help reduce congestion at airports.

"Efforts are on to integrate the IAF radars with the civilian radars to open more aerospace for passenger planes,'' he said.

The air chief, however, clarified that the cooperation would be limited to the national carrier.

The integration of radars, he said, would also benefit the IAF, particularly in the peninsular India. "We have gaps in radar surveillance in peninsular India that we hope to plug with the help of the civilian radars.'' Major was referring to threats from the LTTE and the need for better surveillance on the southern