Air India is set to employ over 1,000 pilots, which will include trainers and captains, as it expands both its fleet and network.
At present, the Tata Group-owned airline boasts of more than 1,800 pilots, and has placed orders for wide-body planes with Boeing and Airbus, among which a total of 470 aircraft are included.
Airbus has confirmed an order for a total of 250 planes from the A320/321 Neo/XLR and A350-900/1000 series, with 210 of these planes being of the A320/321 Neo/XLR variant and 40 of the A350-900/1000 variant.
Additionally, Boeing has also placed an order for a total of 220 planes, which includes 190 737-Max planes, 20 787s, and 10 777s.
As per the advertisement released on Thursday, Air India, which was acquired by the Tata Group in January last year, is in the process of recruiting over 1,000 pilots.
The advertisement highlighted the fact that the airline is welcoming applications from candidates for the position of trainers, captains, and first officers, and is offering various opportunities for growth across its B777, B787, B737, and A320 fleet.
The advertisement also pointed out that the airline’s fleet is slated to grow by over 500 aircraft.
The recent decision by Air India to restructure the service conditions and salary of its pilots has raised concerns among the pilots of the airline.
Air India introduced a new compensation structure for its pilots and cabin crew on April 17, but both Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), the two pilot unions, have rejected the new contracts.
They have cited the reason that the airline failed to consult them before finalizing the new contracts and accused the airline of violating labour practices.
The Tata Group owns four airlines, namely Air India, Air India Express, AIX Connect, and Vistara, which is a joint venture with Singapore Airlines.
Currently, the group is in the process of merging Air India Express and AIX Connect, as well as Vistara, with Air India.
