- Muslim Pilots could be counted on fingers
- 12 Muslims among 244 Civil Aviation officials in 10 states
- 34 Muslims currently among 3,500 women pilots
- Air Traffic Management has 70 Muslims out of 2,796 officers
- One Muslim among 83 Ministry of Civil Aviation officials
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – The soaring civil aviation landscape in the country, despite the breathtaking transformation of airports and airlines having the world’s best-in-class fleet, has remained a domain far too high for Muslims to make their presence felt by numbers.
By 2021, India became the third-largest civil aviation market in the world, and two years later there were 149 operational airports (including Heliports and Water Aerodromes) in the country. The world’s most populous country recorded an air traffic of 376 million passengers in fiscal 2024, of which 306 million were domestic passengers.
Air India remained the largest airline by international passenger traffic with a share of 23.6 per cent of total international passenger traffic in and out of the country in 2024, followed by IndiGo (17.6 per cent). Data about the representation of Muslims in the governance and administration of airports, airlines, air traffic management, and flying training facilities amply presents a bleak picture, according to a new book, Muslims in India – Ground Realities versus Fake Narratives.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) claimed in August 2022 that civil aviation provided direct employment to 250,000 personnel which included pilots, cabin crew, engineers, technicians, airport staff, ground handling, cargo, retail, security, administrative and sales staff.
It claimed the total number of persons employed in the civil aviation sector stood at 1.5 million in 2024. The scheduled Indian aviation industry had nearly 73,000 airline personnel in the financial year 2023. IndiGo had the highest percentage of this total personnel employed in its private airlines. It employed over 32,000 personnel, among which more than 4000 were pilots and co-pilots.
Air India was the only other airline among all Indian airlines to have nearly 2,000 pilots and co-pilots in employment during that financial year. IndiGo had the most foreign pilot recruitments, followed by GoAir and Alliance Air. On a year-over-year basis, the number of foreign pilots flying in India rose by over three times. According to Statista, the German online platform specialising in data gathering and visualisation, IndiGo has a total of 4,404 pilots and co-pilots while 1,845 work with Air India. Vistara has 815 pilots and co-pilots; SpiceJet 733; Air India Express 444; Akasa Air 311; and Alliance Air 216.
Officials say the aviation industry in FY 2023 had a total of 35,790 cabin crew members; 13 airlines have on their rolls a total of 9,390 pilots and co-pilots; 4,532 ticketing and sales personnel and 3,043 MRO personnel. Airlines in India have a total existing fleet of 810 aircraft, with 80 percent being with the commercial carriers. In July 2023, India had seven DGCA Approved Training Organisations (ATOs) which impart type-specific aircraft training. Also, there are 30 private aviation training facilities. India has 148 operational airports. The country faces a significant aviation infrastructure gap with only 149 commercial airports for a population of 1.4 billion.
The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has 83 officials including one Muslim – Rubina Ali, a Joint Secretary, also one of the nine-member officials of its board. Another Muslim is Azeez Baig, a Private Personal Secretary (PPS) to the Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Among the 17 key officials at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), formed in 1946 to regulate civil aviation, there is no Muslim. However, 325 officials are posted across the country including 13 Muslims – Group Captain Murtaza, Shiraz Farooqui, Nusrat Khan, Assistant Director; Abdullah Tyeb, Aeronautical Officer; Tahir Abdullah, Assistant Director; Syed Kasim Razvi, Assistant Director; Mohammed Azad, Personal Assistant; Dr Saleem Pasha, Deputy Director; Mohammed Azharuddin, Deputy Director; Hassan Basha, Deputy Director; Danish Nazir, Airworthiness Officer; Mohammed Aslam Nawaz, Deputy Director and Shaik Athar Hussain Qureshi, Assistant Director (Air Safety).
Formed in May 2009, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) of India has 34 officials at the management level with no Muslim. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), formed in July 2012, has nine officials in its management but no Muslim. India currently has 67 Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorisation (FATA) holders in India. On their board, there are no Muslims. As of March 2023, a total of 15,896 regular officials are employed in the Airports Authority of India (AAI) posted across various airports/stations. There are 67 officials at the DGCA without any Muslim.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) manages 125 airports with the responsibility of creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civil aviation infrastructure. Out of nine officials, only one is a Muslim, Rubina Ali, a Joint Secretary rank official. The AAI has a total of 77 senior officials/technical hands across the country of which three are Muslims – MSI Dawood, deputy GM (FS); J Yaseen, joint GM (RTC Training), and K Mohammed Shahid, GM (AERO-CH). Among 145 officials at the AAI, seven are Muslims – Mohammed Altaf Ansari, Joint General Manager, S Sufi, Deputy GM, T Moosa, Executive Director for ATM, Ayoob M, Executive Director (ATM); Tanvir-ul-Haque, General Manager, Tarik Bhatt, Executive Director, and I Noushad, Deputy General Manager.
Three Muslims Among 150
Heading Country’s Airports
There are 150 chiefs of airports across the country. In the Eastern Region consisting of 23 airports, only one Muslim official exists – Mohammad Arif, Airport Director at Bagdogra Airport in Darjeeling in West Bengal’s Siliguri district. In the North-Eastern Region with 22 airports, another official is a Muslim – Jameel Khaliq, Director of Jorhat Airport in Assam. In the North-Northern Region, 40 airport chiefs including Javed Anjam, Director of Srinagar International Airport. The South Region with 31 airports has zero Muslim officials among its directors. Thirty-four airports in the Western Region also have no Muslim officials.
Governments in several states have civil aviation organisations to oversee one of the fastest-growing industries. In Uttar Pradesh, the Directorate of Civil Aviation, which oversees the upcoming Noida International Airport, has 54 officials including seven Muslims, of whom one working since 1987. In Gujarat, the Civil Aviation Department, formed in 2002, has 24 officials with no Muslim representation. In Goa, the Department of Civil Aviation has five officials, also without a Muslim. Similarly, Sikkim’s Civil Aviation Department has 66 officials of whom no one is a Muslim. Similar is the situation in Uttarakhand’s Civil Aviation Development Authority which has a total of 10 officials. Five of the seven Civil Aviation Wing in the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister’s Secretariat are Muslims. Odisha has 37 officials to look after Civil Aviation affairs and none is a Muslim. The Civil Aviation Department of Daman & Diu (DCADD) too has no Muslim on its 10-member team. Haryana’s Civil Aviation Department has 31 officials which includes no Muslim. There is no Muslim among 12 officials including directors at the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC). Its board consists of 13 directors and the chief minister of Maharashtra is the chairman.
Two Muslims Among 53 Officials in
the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), established in January 1978 as a cell, became an independent department under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in April 1987, to set up rules of airspace, aircraft registration and safety and details the rights of the signatories concerning air travel. Until November 2024 it was headed by a Muslim IPS official – Zulfiqar Hasan – with a five-member management team for over two years. He replaced BCAS Nasir Kamal after he opted for voluntary retirement. Also, only two among 53 senior BCAS officials are Muslims – Mohammed Naushad and Naieem Mustafa Mansuri, a Joint Director looking after Oversight. The bureau has on its roll now 578 staff members. It recently opened 108 vacancies for the posts of Joint Director/Regional Director, Senior Aviation Security Officer, Assistant Director, and Deputy Director.
Pawan Hans, the flagship helicopter service provider of the Government of India and South Asia’s largest helicopter company that maintains and operates a fleet of 43 helicopters, has 18 officials but no Muslim on its board of officials. Over a period, PHL has logged more than one million flying hours and it has plans to become a 100-helicopter company by 2027. The Air India Assets Holding Limited has 11 officials including one Muslim – Umar Javeed, Central Public Information Officer and Manager for Legal & Corporate. Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University (RGNAU), under the administrative control of MoCA, has 14 members including the chairperson but has no Muslim on board. Also, its 14 senior officials have no Muslim. Its Board of Affiliation and Recognition (BAR) has nine members including one Muslim – Prof Andaleeb Tariq, a member nominated by the Executive Council and Professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at IIT Roorkee.
Muslims in Airline Management Teams
Akasa Air has eight officials on its board but no Muslim representation. IndiGo, an Indian LCC which is the largest airline in the country in terms of passengers carried and fleet size, with a 63.3 per cent domestic market share as of October 2024. IndiGo had over 4,000 people employed as pilots and co-pilots in the financial year 2023. It has a 10-member board which has no Muslim representation. Among its 19 leadership teams are two Muslims – Riyaz Peer Mohammed, Chief Airport Acquisition and Financing Officer, and Saba Zaidi, Vice President for Inflight Services. Among the 103 Air India officials, now back to Tatas following disinvestment, only one is a Muslim – N Azeez, Head of Program Management at the Office of Chief Commercial and Transformation Officer in New Delhi. Inter Globe Enterprises which along with Archer Aviation announced plans to launch an all-electric Air Taxi Service across India in 2026, has a 13-member board of directors but has no Muslim to count. SpiceJet has six officials on its board but no Muslim.
70 Muslims Among Officers
Handling Air Traffic Management
Over 2.56 lakh flights are operated by 13 airlines, shaping a transformative impact on regional growth and air connectivity. India has 2,796 Air Traffic Management (ATM) officers of whom 70 are Muslims. One of the 30 managers posted across different airports in the country is a Muslim. Of the 1,162 Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs), only seven are Muslims. Among the 2,085 technical officials and specialists, 38 are Muslims, according to data available with the ATC Guild in India. Aircraft movement increased from 2.05 million in FY 2017 to 2.67 million in FY 2024.
Few Muslim Flying Instructors
There are no Muslims among the eight glider instructors with examiner authorisation (GEA). The same is the case with Glider Instruction (GIA) authorisation holders numbering 11. Among the 171 Designated Examiners in various airlines, there are three Muslims – Captain Shahid Bilgrami and Captain MS Zaheer (Air India), and Captain Haroon Amin Lone (IndiGo). Among the 55 Designated Examiners (DEs) with Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) as of March 2022, three are Muslims – Captain Shahin Shah SK (Asia Pacific Flight Training Academy); Captain Shariq Ali (Chimes Aviation Academy), and Captain Majid Khan Ahmed (Telangana State Aviation Academy). Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA), in operation since November 1985, has a nine-member Governing Council that has no Muslim. It has a fleet of 24 aircraft including five Trinidad TB-20s, 13 Diamond DA40s, and two DA42s. There are no Muslims among its 24 staff members. As of September 2018, 193 people were on the list of DGCA-appointed Designated Examiners with scheduled operators, one of whom was a Muslim –Captain M Khaleel Anwar of Jet Airways. The DGCA-approved Remote Pilot Instructors as of September 2024 stood at 974, including 32 Muslims.
Air India had 48 Senior Trainee Pilots way back in 2017 for Boeing 787/Boeing 777, and Boeing 737OR, including three Muslims. Air India has a total of 1,373 pilots to handle aircraft in its fleet. This includes 27 Muslim pilots. BZ Yahya (Mumbai Domestic); Z Ahmed (Chennai); Mohammed Hussain (Delhi IGI Airport); Shaik Afsar and V Farhad Farouk (both Hyderabad); Shiraz Farooqui (Delhi IGI Airport); Farid Bakshi ( Delhi IGI Airport); Shakeel Naqui (Hyderabad); J Arif Ali (Chennai); Mohammed Shahnawaz Zaheer (Delhi IGI Airport) Abu Shaima Ansari (Mumbai Domestic); J Sajee Khan (Kozhikode); Mohammed Nihas Majeed (Santacruz); Nasir Abdul Aziz (Santacruz); Badruddin Shiyas (Santacruz); Zameer S H (Santacruz); Wasim Raza Khan (Santacruz); S Ahmed (Delhi-IGI Airport); JH K M Ali Khan (Santacruz); Ahmed Ghali (Delhi IGI Airport); Aamir Nizam (Delhi-IGI Airport); Shoeb Bilgrami (Santacruz); MI Akhter (Santacruz); Mohammed Ghani Khan (Delhi IGI Airport); Feroz A Qazalbash (Santacruz), and D Irshad (Santacruz).
India, with 12.4 percent of airline pilots being women, surpasses the world average for female pilots (5.8 per cent) by far, making it the highest-ranked nation published by the US-based International Society of Women Airline Pilots. No other country surpassed 10 per cent. In India, regional airlines employed a share of 13.9 per cent of female pilots. The least number of women pilots could be found at Indian cargo airlines. In December 2021, officials say India has a total of 17,726 registered pilots out of which the number of women pilots is 2,764. As of date, 3,850 active professional pilots have Commercial Pilot Licences and Airlines Transport Pilot Licences. As per the DGCA, there are approximately 10,000 pilots including 67 foreign nationals employed with various airlines in India. The country witnessed three Muslim female pilots as early as the 20th century – Abida Sultan, Begum Hijab Imtiyaz Ali, and Zeenat Haroon Rasheed. Begum Hijab Imtiaz Ali was the first Indian Muslim woman to obtain a pilot’s license in the entire British Empire.
Saarah Hameed Ahmed is an Indian pilot from Bengaluru who worked for SpiceJet. Hindustan Times says Saarah was the only known woman Muslim pilot employed in the aviation sector as of March 2015. A report says there are 34 Muslims among 3,500 women pilots in India. Sania Mirza, daughter of a TV mechanic hailing from Mirzapur district in Uttar Pradesh, is undergoing training to be India’s first Muslim woman fighter pilot. Syeda Salwa was India’s first Muslim woman to become a pilot. In New Zealand, she logged 15 hours flying multi-engine aircraft and pursued type-rating training at the Gulf Aviation Academy in Bahrain. The hijab-wearing youngster is one of merely four Muslim women in India with a commercial pilot’s license. In December 2024, Samaira Hullur of Karnataka became India’s youngest commercial pilot. She gathered over 200 hours of flying experience in around one-and-a-half years and obtained a commercial pilot license at the age of 18. She was trained at the Vinod Yadav Aviation Academy (VYAA) in New Delhi and later she joined the Carver Aviation Academy in Baramati, Maharashtra.
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