AI on a recruitment drive!

Mumbai: At a time when other airlines in the country are stumbling in their effort to cope with recession, the National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL) – which runs Air India (AI) and Indian – has started interviewing candidates to fill 547 positions of cabin crew.
The move, besides the industry, has surprised the current cabin crew of the entity as their working hours have been reduced to 40 from the earlier 80 a month. What is more surprising is that the recruitment process comes after AI cut down its flight operations like all the other airlines in order to tide over the turbulent times.
An AI spokesperson said, “The recruitment is being done for Indian, our domestic operations.” However, the cabin crew members say that the move is “weird” as only last month the airline had proposed three to five years of leave without pay for its non-operational staff. “On one hand, they are talking of sending everyone on leave and now they are busy interviewing candidates,” said a member of Air India Cabin Crew Association.
According to the association, if NACIL is recruiting for Indian, then the purpose of the merger of AI and Indian has been defeated. “The two airlines were merged for better utilisation of human resources,” said the association member.
12/11/08 Navita Singh/Daily News & Analysis