Minister of Civil Aviation Praful Patel admitted about the shortage and said, "To tide over the shortage of commanders arising out of expansion, Air India has taken 15 foreign pilots on contract for a period of one year as a bridging arrangement till such time their pilots are trained on various types of aircraft in Air India's fleet".

Air India has recruited 135 pilots since April 2002 who are undergoing training. The Minister said gestation time for becoming a Commander was at least six to seven years on basic aircraft and 10-12 years on advanced aircraft like Boeing 747.

"Since Air India has embarked on a strategy of growth and network expansion in order to increase its market share, it has leased 18 aircraft so far," he said.