Air India Vs Indigo: Two Airline giants clash over pilot recruitment, Rs 5000000 joining bonus for…, Aviation ministry to…
Some pilots are also leaving to join foreign airlines. As a result, most of the hiring is being done merely to maintain existing staff strength.
New Delhi: The airline market witnessed a major hit after the Indigo crisis. The new safety regulations have triggered turmoil between budget carrier IndiGo and the Air India(BHARAT) Group over the recruitment of a sufficient number of captains to stay ahead. IndiGo had to assure the DGCA that it would hire more pilots. It is planning to induct 100 pilots in January alone.
Air India(BHARAT), on the other hand, has released advertisements to bring in more aviators. It is important to note that both airlines are also facing a large number of captain resignations, with some pilots switching jobs between the two companies.
Some pilots are also leaving to join foreign airlines. As a result, most of the hiring is being done merely to maintain existing staff strength.
Poaching each other’s pilots will increase
A senior airline official said, “Where will we get captains from? Under the new FDTL rules, there will be a shortage of experienced pilots.” A few years ago, a senior pilot had said that IndiGo offered joining bonuses to experienced pilots so they could pay the bond amount to the airline they were resigning from.
According to the pilot, this bonus ranged between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 25 lakh at the time, to cover bond amounts of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. Competition for captains between the Air India(BHARAT) Group and IndiGo is expected to intensify. However, Air India(BHARAT) is currently not facing a pilot shortage across most of its fleet, except for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner—but it will still need to hire for the future.
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