A career in the air

The aviation industry is an exciting ield to work in and has a wide range of careers options.

NT Features

Don’t you think it will be exciting to have a job at an altitude of 39,000 feet from the ground? Were you fascinated by aeroplanes when you were a kid? Although on the outside the lives of air hostesses and pilots may seem extremely fancy, the career path in the aviation industry is not straightforward.

The aviation sector has been one of the most well paid sectors across the world. The Indian civil aviation industry is the third largest domestic civil aviation market in the world. In the last three years, it is noted that the Indian civil aviation industry has emerged as one of the fastest growing sectors in the world. The huge growth in the sector is owed to factors like Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in domestic airlines, modern airports, advanced information technology (IT), low-cost carriers (LCCs). Working in the Aviation industry can be one of the toughest jobs requiring utmost passion and dedication towards the job role.

A student with an educational qualification of intermediate or even as a professional with a professional bachelor’s degree can join the aviation sector directly. Here are the courses you can take up if you are looking for a career in aviation.

BBA in airport management

BBA in Airport Management is a three-year course and it trains students to take on managerial and administrative jobs at an airport. A student with a bachelor’s degree can get a job at an airport as a manager, administrator, staff manager, and safety officer. Joining the civil aviation industry after graduation will fetch you an average salary between `3-6 lakh per annum. The graduates may be placed in major international or domestic airports. Students can also opt for B Sc in Aviation and pursue their post-graduation. The topics studied here vary and the average salary is between `2-4 lakhs per annum.

Diploma in airport management

Diploma in Airport Management is a oneyear course which teaches its students more about the technical aspects compared to managerial roles. A student can also opt to continue their studies by pursuing a post graduate diploma in airport management which will get them into job roles like an airport manager, assistant manager and cargo department manager. An average salary with this educational background will have your salary be `2-5 lakh per annum. The students in this stream will be placed in either domestic or international airports. Diplomas can be taken up in Ground Staff and Cabin Crew Training, Aviation Hospitality, and Airfare and Ticketing Management.

Commercial pilot training (CPL)

The most glamorous and financially rewarding job in the aviation industry is the commercial pilot. Apart from learning all the theoretical knowledge, a student must also have gained practical knowledge to become a commercial pilot. A student must have to get a commercial pilot licence to get a job in the aviation industry. Pursuing this career will land jobs in both government and private airlines and chartered flights. To be eligible for CPL, a candidate should be able to read, write, speak and understand the English, be medically fit and must have passed their 10+2 with physics and maths as subjects. A commercial pilot will get an average salary between `5-12 lakhs per annum and can turn into a flight instructor after getting a work experience of 8-10 years.

Aeronautical engineering

This is a technical course that extends for four years. BE/B.Tech in Aeronautical engineering will deal with the aspects of designing, manufacturing and maintaining of the aircraft. You can get job roles such as a chief engineer, research and development engineer, design engineer once you graduate with an aeronautical engineering degree. The average starting salary is `3-5 lakhs annually.

Flight attendant

This role has been glorified making it sound like an easy task, however, the air hostess has many responsibilities. The minimum educational qualification to pursue the air hostess course is 10+2. Usually, the duration of a course is six months to one year but few fast track certificate courses can be completed in three months long. Air hostesses usually earn between `20,000 and `80,000 per month. Domestic airlines pay `20,000 to `35,000 and international airlines can pay up to `80,000 depending upon the experience. Some of the top and luxurious international airliners also pay anything between `100,000 to `200,000 per month to their senior air hostesses.