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Taxijet will work toward providing seamless service for
international flights. When our build out is complete passengers
will be able to request flights on www.Taxijet.com from
any departure city or airport in the world to any destination
in the world. Our software will send the request to on
demand air travel operators who can service the request. It is
then up to the operators to make their own determination as to whether
they can provide the service, and what price to charge. Our
current database does not include airports outside the United
States. We have plans to integrate a worldwide database in the
near future.
Pilot
Shortage Sparks Government Action Overseas
An
explosion of low-cost carriers and a shortage of viable flight schools
is behind a pilot shortage that has forced some airlines to ground
aircraft and even cancel flights in India. According to Rediff.com, the
country will need about 3,500 pilots in the next five years and
domestic schools are only producing about 100 a year. The shortage is
so acute that the government has taken drastic measures over the past
year to try and minimize the impact on travelers. In December, the
mandatory retirement age was increased to 65 (a pilot younger than 60
must be in the cockpit) but it's the so-called anti-poaching
legislation that has pilots in the biggest lather. As the new airlines
opened up, they naturally tried to lure pilots from other carriers and
money is the most obvious incentive. Indian airline pilots make about
$10,000 a month, ten times what an Indian air force jockey makes. To
cut down on cherry picking by pilots (and the schedule disruption it
brings), the government passed a law that requires pilots to give six
months' notice before switching airlines. The law also prohibits them
from refusing to work a normal number of flights during the six
months. (AVWEB.com –
2-2-06)
"Goldman Sachs predicts that India will be the world's
third-largest economy by 2032, overtaking Japan and trailing only the
U.S. and China." "Demand [for pilots] has enabled them to win wages
that are 35-40% above average rates (...) The Center for
Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) says 10-12 aircraft are currently grounded
for lack of pilots and estimates that India will need up to 4,000 more
pilots over the next five years. It puts the bill for their
training at $200 million.
"Human resources are reaching a crisis in
supply. Pilot demand will exceed it by a factor of three,"
says CAPA Managing Director Peter Harbison." ( The Gold Rush. In:
Aviation Week & Space Technology, July 18, pp. 49)
"Passenger counts at Indian airports are expected to jump 2.5 times in
the next five years - to 50 million from 19 million - as a booming
economy and new low-cost carriers stimulate demand." ( The Gold Rush.
In: Aviation Week & Space Technology, July 18, pp. 49)
China has overtaken Japan to become the largest aviation
market in Asia and the second largest in the world in 2004, according
to the International Transport & Tourism Consultancy. The
U.S. is the world’s largest aviation market. China’s 130 airports
saw an average yearly growth of 13% in capacity from 1998-2004.
Aviation Week and Space Technology Mar 14, 2005.
Everyone thinks India will be the “next China” for aircraft
sales….Aviation Week and Space Technology Feb 14, 2005. “India’s
proposed fiscal 2005 budget has a jackpot for aviation services, a 62%
increase from 2004.” – Aviation Week and Space Technology – Mar 7,
2005.
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updated 11-13-08
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