Indian pilots’ body warns Noel Tata over Air India exodus, flags safety concerns

The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India) has raised concerns over the loss of experienced pilots across the Air India Group, saying pilot attrition should be viewed as a flight-safety issue and not merely an employment or remuneration matter.

In an open letter to Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata dated August 31, ALPA India President and IFALPA Director Capt. Sam Thomas urged the Tata Group to review pilot retention, fatigue management, training, fleet transitions and safety systems across Air India and Air India Express.

The association said the integration of airlines, fleets, workforces and organisational cultures following the Tata Group’s expansion in aviation was a major undertaking. It said emerging operational and human-resource concerns needed attention at the highest level.


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Experience loss raises safety concerns

ALPA India said it was increasingly concerned about the attrition of experienced pilots, particularly at Air India Express. It attributed the exits to a combination of remuneration that has not kept pace with expectations, reduced benefits and deteriorating quality-of-life and working conditions.

“Experienced pilots are not entries on a manpower spreadsheet. They are repositories of operational judgment and institutional memory, and they represent one of an airline's most valuable safety assets,” Thomas said.

The association also flagged the movement of pilots between Airbus and Boeing fleets. While such transitions are legitimate when supported by appropriate training, ALPA India said moving between different aircraft philosophies requires robust training, adequate consolidation periods and careful management of cockpit experience.

“We are not confident this is being managed with the rigor it requires,” the letter said.

The pilots’ body cited three 2026 occurrences — the hard landing involving Air India Express flight IX938 at Phuket in March, the tail strike involving Air India flight AI2651 during a go-around at Bengaluru in May, and a reported in-flight control event involving AI2379 in August.

ALPA India stressed that it was not attributing these occurrences to pilot experience.

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“We do not seek to prejudge these occurrences, nor to attribute them to pilot experience ahead of formal findings,” the association said.

However, it said the incidents warranted closer scrutiny of the group’s Safety Management System (SMS), Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) programme, training systems and manpower policies.

Pilot retention is a safety issue

ALPA India said pilot attrition should be treated as part of the airline’s safety strategy.

“Pilot attrition should not be treated as merely an HR, remuneration or industrial-relations matter. Retention of experienced pilots must be recognised as part of an airline's safety strategy,” the letter said.

The association urged Air India and Air India Express to adopt a pilot-retention framework covering competitive remuneration, usable annual leave, predictable rosters, fatigue-risk management, positioning travel, retirement benefits, transparent career progression and fleet-transition policies.

It also called for stronger protection of rest and days off and a non-punitive culture in which pilots can report fatigue and safety concerns without fear of career consequences.

“These should not be viewed as additional employee costs. They are investments in retention, operational stability and, ultimately, flight safety,” ALPA India said.

ALPA seeks independent review

The association said meeting minimum regulatory requirements should not be the benchmark for an airline seeking to become a global carrier.

“International aviation safety principles recognise that remaining within prescribed flight and duty-time limits does not, by itself, eliminate fatigue risk — airlines must identify and manage the actual risk created by their own schedules and operations,” the letter said.

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ALPA India urged Noel Tata to consider commissioning an independent review across the Air India Group. The review, it said, should examine pilot attrition, remuneration and benefits, roster practices, fatigue data, leave utilisation, cockpit experience levels, fleet-transition policies, training standards, FOQA trends and the effectiveness of the group’s SMS in identifying human-factor risks.

The association said the review should benchmark Air India against leading international airlines and global best practices.

“The fundamental question is simple: are we identifying and acting on the warning signs before they become accidents?” the letter said.

ALPA India said Air India’s long-term strength would depend not only on its fleet and network but also on passenger and employee confidence that safety comes first and professional experience is valued.

“A world-class fleet deserves world-class pilots. And world-class pilots deserve world-class working conditions,” Thomas said.