Fee hike fails to clip wings of aspirant pilots

Hyderabad: Getting a commercial pilot's licence (CPL) has become an expensive proposition. Flying schools in the city have hiked their course fee by at least Rs 50,000 since last year. The schools attribute the hike to the rise in the price of white fuel that aircraft use but they are also eager to cash in on the demand for their courses, fuelled by the pilot shortage in the country.
The fees for an 18-month CPL course now ranges from Rs 8 lakh to 18 lakh.
Even then, a CPL is not guaranteed at the end of the course. A candidate will have to clear the examination conducted by the DGCA.
The country will need 4,000 to 5,000 pilots in the coming five years. The city produces less than 100 a year. There are only two DGCA-approved private flying schools in the city in addition to the state government-owned Andhra Pradesh Aviation Academy.
17/06/06 V Srinivas Ram/Times of India

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