AI pilots try to get jobs in pvt airlines
Anguished by delayed payment of flying allowances that form a bulk of their wages, domestic pilots of cash-strapped national carrier Air India are now looking for jobs in private carriers. In fact, a low-cost carrier that is in the midst of massive fleet expansion is now wooing Air India’s domestic pilots and some of the pilots have already accepted job offer letters as well, sources said. A few Air India pilots are already in the process of putting in their papers.
“With rapid fleet expansion, we feel there is no limit to the number of pilots we can absorb. Airlines are also phasing out foreign pilots and we need experienced commanders to replace them,” said an official of a low-cost carrier who did not want to be identified.
Pilots of the national carrier are also equally anxious for greener pastures. “We have made heavy investments and need to pay back. To make it worse, banks are even refusing to give us loans once they realise that we are working with Air India. Our unpaid flying allowance arrears are mounting and there will be an exodus if this continues for another month. Many of us are under immense financial stress due to this. Some pilots are also considering informing the airline management that they are too stressed to operate flights any longer,” said an Air India domestic pilot.
However, Air India officials said that delayed wages are a direct result of the severe cash crunch that the airline is facing. “We know that some of the pilots are unhappy. But what can we do? It is not just the pilots but also other sections of employees who are not receiving a large part of their wages on time. The pilots themselves spoilt the situation further by going on strike,” an Air India official pointed out.
Sources said the pilots most desperate to leave are the domestic pilots of Air India belonging to the Indian Commercial Pilots Association which had recently struck work, demanding pay parity with the airline’s international route pilots. The pilot strike severely dented passenger confidence in Air India, deepening the airline’s losses and sending it into a vicious financial downward spiral.
With Air India in doldrums, some of the leading private airlines are, therefore, benefiting, not just in terms of market share but also by wooing Air India pilots. As aviation watchers point out, pilots are considered the most precious asset in any airlines.
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