Air India's CEO Announces Recruitment Of 600 Pilots And Cabin Crew Members

Air India's chairman Campbell Wilson said on Monday that the airline is adding 550 cabin crew members and 50 pilots every month and intends to have six wide-body A350 jets in its fleet by the end of this year, citing a "healthy start" to its five-year transformation plan.

After taking over the reins from the government in January last year, Tata Group has implemented a number of measures to improve the carrier's fortunes, including placing the largest order for 470 planes and expanding foreign operations.

Mr Wilson, the airline's Managing Director and CEO, stated that there is no set target for hiring, but that approximately 550 cabin crew members and 50 pilots are hired and trained each month.

"In the case of cabin crew members, it is about ten times and in the case of pilots, it is about five times on an annual rate of the pre-privatised airline," he told PTI in an interview in the national capital.

He mentioned that the current rate of hiring will persist throughout most of this year, gradually decrease towards the end of the year, and then pick up speed again by the end of 2024. He emphasized that this hiring pace will align with the induction of new aircraft.

"There are people, and (they) can fill in the roles. We are calibrating on who we are bringing in from outside in accordance with who exists with the four airlines... we are consolidating the airlines and growing substantially," he said.

According to Mr. Wilson, when considering all four airlines collectively, the staff strength is estimated to be around 20,000. However, this figure does not include the individuals who are being recruited as part of the growth strategy.

In a recent communication with employees, Mr. Wilson stated that Air India and Air India Express have onboarded over 3,900 personnel since the beginning of this year. This includes the hiring of more than 500 pilots and 2,400 cabin crew members..

"The first narrow-body aircraft will come around July or August. The first wide-body aircraft (A350) will come around October," Mr Wilson said about the induction plans from the historic order placed for 470 planes earlier this year.

Air India, currently operating with a fleet of 122 planes, is actively expanding its aircraft count. By the end of this year, the airline has set its sights on acquiring six A350 and eight B777 aircraft, further bolstering its fleet. In terms of progress, Air India has already successfully secured the lease of nine B777 planes thus far.

In a significant development, Air India revealed its plans in February to procure a total of 250 aircraft. This includes a separate agreement with Airbus, a prominent European aviation major, for 40 wide-body A350 planes, and a distinct deal with Boeing, a leading US aircraft manufacturer, for an additional 220 planes. The purchase includes 40 Airbus A350s, 20 Boeing 787s, 10 Boeing 777-9s, 210 Airbus A320/321 Neos, and 190 Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft.

He described the ongoing five-year transformation plan 'Vihaan.AI' as a good start.

Mr Wilson explained that wet leasing of aircraft by airlines is a short-term technique to keep supply and demand in balance.

"In the short term, it is a perfectly reasonable thing. In the long term, I think, we need to be careful that it does not undercut the incentive to invest in your own assets and put the skin in the game to grow the market... in a sustainable way," he noted.

IndiGo has taken on a wet lease in order to extend its worldwide presence.