India needs over 2,500 new Aircraft and 31,000 pilots by 2042 to meet rising air traffic: Boeing

With its growing air traffic, India will need more than 2,500 new aircraft by 2042, according to Boeing's Vice President of Commercial Marketing. Currently, there are around 700 commercial aircraft in the country, with a majority of them being narrow-body or single-aisle planes.

Boeing has also estimated that India may require 31,000 pilots and approximately 26,000 mechanics in the next two decades, aligning with the increasing order book of aircraft. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), there are currently about 10,000 pilots, including 67 foreign nationals, employed by various domestic airlines in India.

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According to Boeing, India is the only large economy, a large market in Asia that has evolved to pre-pandemic levels both domestically and internationally in terms of demand.

That reflects how important air travel is in the marketplace, also the strength of the Indian economy and how connected a traveller is to continued growth, he further said.

He said it is expected the India cargo fleet will go 80 airplanes over next 20 years asserting that a massive untapped potential with only 15 freighter aircraft now.