Overcoming the skills crisis in Indian aviation

Indian aviation has once again resumed its strong growth trajectory, with double-digit expansion since July 2009. This is good news for India’s airlines and airports after a turbulent couple of years, but growth brings its own challenges. The need for high quality infrastructure is widely recognised and billions of dollars have been invested, and will continue to be invested in this area. Simultaneously with rapid growth, the regulatory framework is being modernised, and implementation of these more stringent standards will bring its own execution challenges. But ultimately, the ability to bring India in line with the global aviation community will hinge upon the skills and competency of the workforce, though education and training has virtually been an afterthought in Indian aviation.