In the coming year, Air India plans to hire nearly 5,000 additional employees, including 900 pilots, as a result of its significant order with Airbus and Boeing. One of the largest aircraft orders in history was made 10 days ago by the Indian carrier, who placed an unbelievable purchase for 470 aircraft.
recruiting push for Air India
The airline disclosed on Friday that it intends to add more than 4,200 cabin crew members and 900 pilots by 2023 as part of an unprecedented fleet expansion, according to a Reuters report. Under the new ownership of Tata Group, which officially took over India’s national airline just over a year ago, Air India will undergo a transition in an effort to recapture its former glory, when the airline was known for its superior customer service and cabin amenities.
As the airline adds new planes and quickly develops its domestic and international operations, Air India said in a statement on Friday that it “plans to hire approximately 4,200 cabin crew trainees and 900 pilots in 2023.” The airline’s in-flight services director, Sandeep Verma, continued,
“With a sizable aircraft order that was announced earlier in the month, more flights on domestic and international networks, and re-alignment of domestic routes with AIX link, cabin crew will play a critical role in determining the present and future of the Air India group. Also, we want to hire more maintenance engineers and pilots.”
In addition to familiarization flights, the 15-week training program for new cabin crew members at Air India’s training center in Mumbai would involve both classroom and in-flight instruction. Verma continued by saying that the carrier’s exciting moment of expansion and change will be accelerated by the waves of new hires.
On February 14, the airline announced a massive purchase for 470 airframes from Airbus and Boeing, with options for an additional 370. This order includes 210 Airbus A320neo family aircraft, 40 A350s, 190 Boeing 737 MAXs, 20 787s, and 10 777Xs.
Millions more pilots are required.
As stated in Indian Express, some analysts predict that after all of Air India’s new aircraft have been delivered, the airline will require about 6,500 pilots. In addition to leasing 36 aircraft (11 Boeing 777s and 25 Airbus A320s), including two Boeing 777-200s that have already joined the airline’s fleet, the carrier expects to take delivery of over 30 of the 470 ordered aircraft this year. Campbell Wilson, CEO of Air India, said,
“Thousands of domestic pilots, engineers, cabin crew members, airport administrators, and other function professionals would be needed over the next years by the ambitious new Air India and the aviation industry as a whole.
We have a need and responsibility to nurture this talent as the premier airline of India.” The majority of its order of aircraft is scheduled to arrive in 2025, providing the carrier plenty of time to hire. Almost 1,900 new cabin crew members joined the airline between May 2022 and February 2023, continuing the carrier’s hectic nine-month expansion of its staff. Air India continued,
“About 1,100 cabin crew have received training in the last seven months, and in the last three months, the airline has freed about 500 cabin personnel to fly.”
Now, Air India employs about 1,600 pilots to fly its 100+ aircraft fleet, while its subsidiaries Air India Express and AirAsia India each have about 850 pilots flying 54 aircraft. The Indian airline has recently had to cancel flights, especially long-haul services, at short notice due to a personnel shortage.
