New Delhi, Dec. 28 (PTI): In the face of an exodus of pilots, state-owned carrier Alliance Air may soon spend more time on the ground than in the air.

Nearly half of its pilots have put in their papers.

Alliance Air, the wholly owned subsidiary of Indian (formerly Indian Airlines), has witnessed “mass resignations” of pilots in the past 18 months, with 58 commanders and co-pilots quitting, bringing their numbers down from 94 to 36, official sources said.

Of the existing 36 pilots, 15 more have submitted their resignations and the remaining ones are also understood to be putting in their papers anytime soon, the Union civil aviation ministry sources said.

The resignations have come at a time when its parent company, Indian, has placed orders for new aircraft to refurbish its own fleet as well as that of Alliance Air.

However, the pilots have not yet been relieved from their duty due to the six-month notice period under the rules set by the directorate general of civil aviation.

They said the notice period of these pilots would be completed by March next year. In case, there were no further resignations, Alliance Air will be left with only a handful of commanders or none at all.

In the recent past, several pilots have protested flying to Leh due to three instances of the vintage B737-200s aircraft experiencing engine failure.

The airline has also had to curtail its operations, especially in the Northeast.