India’s state-owned helicopter charter operator Pawan Hans Helicopters (PHHL) is planning to add at least three helicopters a year to its offshore and charter fleets from the start of next year as it seeks a larger share of the burgeoning helicopter charter market in the country.
New Delhi-based PHHL is also planning to upgrade up to 17 helicopters in its fleet.
Managing director Nagar Sridhar says the greatest challenge for PHHL is to recruit and retain engineers and pilots having lost 40 staff this year alone to private operators.
The impact of India’s pilot shortage and recruitment problem has reverberated to the southern Indian state of Karnataka, which has been forced to sell its Eurocopter Dauphin helicopter used for VIP transport due to a lack of qualified pilots.
Source: Flight International
