Turbulence ends, airlines begin hiring pilots, crew

Bangalore: After a year of turbulence, the aviation sector is now seeing a resurgence in hiring.
With passenger load factors having increased by 30% in the last quarter over the same quarter a year ago, and with further growth expected, some airlines, especially the low-cost carriers, are going in for an expansion. Moreover, airlines that had downsized their capacity last year are now thinking of adding capacity. This has opened up the job market, as some airlines have begun hiring pilots, co-pilots, cabin crew and engineers.
Industry analysts call this a ‘quiet resurgence in hiring’ as the aviation sector is still to fly out of the red. Besides, with foreign carriers poaching Indian talent, many vacancies have arisen that some airlines are trying to fill.
Between the three low-cost carriers, around 12-15 new aircraft would be added by the end of this year. A Spicejet official confirmed to TOI that the airline would be receiving 5 new aircraft this year and that the company had a hiring agenda .
“We are extremely bullish on hiring pilots, co-pilots, and cabin crew, as we have aggressive plans to increase the network,” said M Thiagarajan, managing director, Paramount Airways. By the end of this calendar year Paramount will increase its daily operations to around 120 flights, a growth of 67%.
A senior official of a full-service airline, who asked not to be named, told TOI that the airline was hiring in order to fill vacancies that had arisen due to high attrition. The attrition rate is pegged between 15% and 20%.
10/02/10 Anshul Dhamija/Economic Times