New Delhi: Air India is on the path of a healthy start in regard to the five-year transformation plan.
MD and CEO Campbell Wilson on Monday said that the company is hiring 550 cabin crew members and 50 pilots every month. It is also expecting to have six wide-body A350 planes by the end of 2023, reported PTI. The airline has also placed the largest order of 470 planes to expand international operations.
He added that there is no target per se. "In the case of cabin crew members, it is about ten times and in the case of pilots, it is about five times on an annual rate of the pre-privatised airline. This pace of hiring will continue for most of this year, taper off by the end of this year and accelerate again towards the end of 2024. It (hiring pace) will match the induction of aircraft."
About the process of merging Air India Express and AirAsia India (now known as AIX Connect), and Vistara with Air India, he said they are sensitive to the consolidation that is subject to regulatory approvals. "There are people, and (they) can fill in the roles. We are calibrating on who we are bringing in from outside in accordance with who exists with the four airlines... we are consolidating the airlines and growing substantially."
The staff strength putting all four airlines together is expected to be around 20,000. This does not include the people being hired as part of the growth strategy.
Tata Group took over the airline from the government in January and is trying to turn around it from loss.
Currently, Air India has 122 planes and is expanding its fleet. So far, the carrier has taken 9 B777 planes on lease. In February, it was announced that the airline will buy 250 aircraft, including 40 wide-body A350 planes, from European aviation major Airbus and 220 planes from US aircraft maker Boeing under separate deals.
Earlier in May, Wilson told employees that Air India and Air India Express have hired more than 3,900 people, including over 500 pilots and 2,400 cabin crew members since January 2023.