India, Feb. 12 -- India has 25,001 pilots under the age of 65 holding valid flying licences, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday. However, it clarified that no centralised data is maintained on how many commercial or airline transport pilots are currently unemployed or not in active service.

In a written reply to a question by Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker Sharmila Sarkar, minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol provided category-wise details of licences issued by the civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

According to the data, the country has 10,051 Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) holders for planes and 210 for helicopters. The largest group comprises Commercia...