Tuesday, March 03, 2015

Air India pilots protest move to hire staff on contract

Mumbai: Air India, which has initiated the process to recruit 197 pilots on contract for its Airbus fleet, has come under severe criticism from its existing pilots for such recruitment as a bulk of its pilots are awaiting opportunities to upgrade from their existing positions.
The Air India pilots union which is recognised by the airline, Indian Commercial Pilot’s Association (ICPA), has written to the chairman of the airline, Rohit Nandan, and the minister of civil aviation, Ashok Gajapathi Raju, as well as other officials of the ministry raising their concern.
“Air India currently has more than enough pilots to fly its planes. While pilots with as many as 7-8 years of experience are not getting upgraded to command position, the airline is planning to bring in pilots from outside on a contract basis. This is wasteful use of resources when the airline is a lossmaking entity and has over Rs 40,000 crore of net debt,” said a senior captain with the airline.
Air India currently has 1,464 pilots in its ranks, while its fleet consists of about 110 aircraft. The airline wants to hire pilots on contract for its Airbus 320 fleet, consisting of 17 aircraft, some of which have been taken on lease.
02/03/15 Rhik Kundu/Financial Express
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