Air India To Hire Over 1,000 Pilots As Airline Plan To Expand Fleet, Network

According to an advertisement on Thursday, Airline, which was taken over by the Tata Group in January last year, is hiring more than 1,000 pilots.

New Delhi: Air India on Thursday said it will hire more than 1,000 pilots, including captains and trainers, as the Tata Group-owned airline plan to expand its fleet and network. In a statement, the airline, which currently has more than 1,800 pilots, said it has placed orders for 470 aircraft with Boeing and Airbus, including for wide-body planes.

The latest Airbus firm order comprises 210 A320/321 Neo/XLR and 40 A350-900/1000. The Boeing firm order comprises 190 737-Max, 20 787s and 10 777s.

According to an advertisement on Thursday, Airline, which was taken over by the Tata Group in January last year, is hiring more than 1,000 pilots.

“We are offering multiple opportunities and accelerated growth across our A320, B777, B787 and B737 fleet for captains and first officers, as well as trainers,” the airline said in the advertisement and added that more than 500 aircraft are joining its fleet.

In the meantime, pilots of Air India have raised concerns about the airline’s latest decision to revamp their salary structure and service conditions.

On April 17, Air India rolled out a revamped compensation structure for its pilots and cabin crew, which has since been rejected by the two pilot unions – Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) – on grounds that the airline, in alleged violation of labour practices, did not consult them before finalising the new contracts.

Tata Group has four airlines — Air India, Air India Express, AIX Connect and Vistara, which is a joint venture with Singapore Airlines. The group is in the process of merging Air India Express and AIX Connect as well as Vistara with Air India.

(With inputs from PTI)