The Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA India) has written an open letter to Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata, flagging concerns over the attrition of experienced pilots across the Air India Group and urging an independent review of pilot-related and operational issues.
The letter, dated August 31, was reported by ANI and The Economic Times. 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 it was "increasingly concerned" about the loss of experienced pilots, particularly at Air India Express, and attributed the attrition to 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, as quoted by The Economic Times.
ALPA India also raised concerns over the movement of pilots between Airbus and Boeing fleets. While acknowledging that such transitions are legitimate when properly trained and regulated, the association stressed that moving between different aircraft philosophies requires robust training, adequate consolidation periods, and careful management of cockpit experience.
The letter referred to three operational occurrences in 2026 that it said deserved closer examination: a Boeing 737 MAX 8 hard landing at Phuket in March, an Airbus A321 tail strike during a go-around at Bengaluru in May, and a reported in-flight control event involving an Air India aircraft in August. However, ALPA India said it did not seek to prejudge these incidents or attribute them to pilot experience before formal findings, but said they should prompt deeper scrutiny of Air India Group's safety management systems.
The Tribune reported that ALPA India called for measures including competitive pay, leave, predictable rosters, fatigue-risk management, retirement benefits, and transparent career progression. The association urged an independent review covering pilot attrition, roster practices, fatigue data, fleet-transition policies, and safety management.
ALPA India said Air India should exceed minimum regulatory compliance and become a place where leading pilots build careers.