New Delhi: The Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of two Indian airlines, Air India and Akasa Air, are at odds over the poaching of pilots, with the latter accusing Air India of rule violations by enticing its pilots away.
In response, Air India raised concerns that such actions could breach competition laws by suggesting collusion to curb job switching.
The private exchange between the chief executives, Campbell Wilson of Air India, which is owned by the Tata Group conglomerate and Vinay Dube of low-cost airline Akasa, detailed in a September 21 letter, was seen by the news agency Reuters.
The rare verbal and written confrontations detailed in the letter sent by Wilson to Dube, reveal the growing competition in India's aviation market, as a strong rebound in air travel after the pandemic, coupled with a surge in new aircraft orders, has led to a shortage of pilots.
The letter came after a phone conversation between the two executives and a previous missive Dube had sent expressing concerns to the Tata Group, the owner of Air India.
Akasa accused it of contravening government policies that mandate a notice period of six to 12 months for pilots. Air India's response to Akasa's accusations was that government rules mandating a notice period of six to twelve months for pilots were "not currently enforceable."
Wilson also told his counterpart Dube that Akasa itself had "previously engaged in similar actions" by poaching pilots from Tata Group's budget carrier, Air India Express, and other airlines.
"It was a little surprising to us that Akasa now found the practice objectionable," Wilson wrote in the letter, which Reuters is reporting for the first time.
Akasa did not comment on its communication with Air India but stated that the pilot exit issue was "now behind us," and they are focused on growth. Air India and Akasa's CEOs have not yet publicly commented on the matter.
Dube had earlier made it clear that he is against the idea of having any such agreement between airlines.
“Not at all. Absolutely not. I am dead set against it. I think pilots like any other employees should be completely allowed to work with whatever airline they want and I don’t believe that the airlines should collude on this topic at all. I don’t think there is a need and I don’t think it is right,” he said.
This dispute occurs as Air India is in the midst of a hiring spree, with its subsidiary, Air India Express, aiming to expand its fleet to 170 aircraft over the next five years. Akasa recently lost approximately 10 per cent of its 450 pilots in a short period, with some joining Air India Express without completing their notice periods.
In September, Akasa said it feared a shutdown and sued some pilots, as well as the aviation watchdog, for not coming to its aid, in lawsuits still pending in the courts.
Akasa, a new entrant in the Indian aviation scene, began operations in 2022 and holds a 4 per cent market share, competing with established players like IndiGo and Tata Group's airlines.