Airlines to hire 5,000 as aviation boom returns

Mumbai/New Delhi: Indian carriers will hire at least 5,000 professionals across
categories this year — pilots, cabin crew and airport ground staff — buoyed by the recent boom in the aviation sector
which saw high attrition and
retrenchment after the onset of the
downturn in 2008.
" Airlines had pulled out at least 20% capacity from the market during the
downturn. That capacity was restored
last year and we see airlines adding
another 20% capacity this year and
would be hiring 4,500-5,000 people
this year," said Kapil Kaul, CEO of aviation consultancy firm Centre for
Asia Pacific Aviation, South Asia.
The Indian aviation sector will grow
by 18-20% this year, said aviation
industry experts. Among airlines,
national carrier Air India and low-cost airlines IndiGo and SpiceJet will add
more than 1,000 this year. " Our flights will go up to 350 flights per day from
221 currently. We are in the process of
hiring 200 pilots, 400-500 cabin crew
and as many airport ground staff this
year at IndiGo," said Aditya Ghosh, president, IndiGo.
Demand for pilots is rising due to the
dearth of professionals. Airlines are
chasing expats as the aviation
regulator has allowed foreign
nationals to be employed as pilots till December 13, 2013.
" The fact today is that all airlines in India are asking for foreign pilots and
no single agency can provide those
many numbers. Airlines in India have
asked all agencies that these pilots
need to be recruited on an urgent
basis," said a person directly involved with hiring of expats, requesting
anonymity.
In all, airlines are looking for about
230 commanders on an immediate
basis , according to recruitment
agencies. " We are looking to hire 500-600 pilots to meet the demand," Jet' s chairman Naresh Goyal had stated recently.
GoAir, which plans to add 20 aircraft
by 2014, will hire 250 people this year
with 100 each for cabin crew and
ground staff and 50 pilots.