Indian Pilots' Body Urges Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata To Intervene Over Senior Pilot Attrition & Safety Gaps Across Air India Fleet
· Free Press Journal
Mumbai: The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India) has expressed deep concerns regarding operational risks, flight safety and rising attrition rates among senior flight crews across the Air India Group. The association raised the concerns in an open letter to Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata on Monday.
Senior Pilot Exodus A Concern
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The letter, accessed by The Free Press Journal, called for an urgent, top-level review of human resources and safety protocols to ensure the ongoing airline merger and fleet integration do not undermine operational standards.
One of the key Concerns raised by ALPA India was the attrition of experienced pilots. The body said that uncompetitive remuneration, benefit reductions and deteriorating working conditions are driving senior commanders and experienced pilots out of the organisation. The union emphasised that senior pilots carry crucial institutional memory and operational judgment necessary for safety. It also highlighted that rapid fleet transition between Airbus and Boeing aircraft types require strict training, sufficient consolidation periods and careful management of cockpit experience gradients, warning that the areas currently lack adequate rigour.
10-Point Retention Plan Suggested
ALPA India argued that merely meeting legal Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) is insufficient to manage pilot fatigue and urge the Air India Group to adopt scientific, predictive fatigue risk management rather than benchmarking solely against basic domestic regulatory minimums.
To demonstrate the real-world implications of these systemic issues, the union cited three major flight safety events from this year that warrant deeper scrutiny. It cited the hard landing incident in Phuket on Air India Express’ Boeing 737 Max-8 in March, tail strike during a go-around at Bengaluru on Air India's Airbus A321 in May and the in-flight control event on the Phuket-Delhi flight in August.
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It urged the Tata management to benchmark pilot working conditions against global best practices rather than local market minimums. The association recommended implementing a comprehensive 10-point retention framework, including competitive remuneration, adequate annual leave, stable rosters, scientific fatigue-risk management, long-term financial benefits, transparent career progression, fleet-transition policies preserving cockpit experience, genuine protection of rest and days off, non-punitive safety and fatigue-reporting culture and consultation with professional pilot representatives among others.
Union Seeks Independent Review
ALPA India's president Capt. Sam Thomas urged Noel Tata to commission an independent, group-wide review of training standards, fatigue data, SMS effectiveness and attrition causes. The union emphasised that a world-class fleet must be supported by world-class working conditions to ensure passenger safety and long-term operational success.
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