New Position Holders at Spicejet plus news

[Nevrekar]

Spicejet has 2 New Chief Pilots: EVP is Captain Jack Ekl.

1. Captain Sandeep Varma (also now DGCA appointed FID)
2. Captain Vishal Sawhney

GM of Training and Standards is now Captain Sultan Singh (also DGCA FID)




SpiceJet to upgrade 40 co-pilots


26 Apr 2009, 1133 hrs IST, PTI

MUMBAI: Budget airline, SpiceJet, has plans to train around 35-40 co-pilots and graduate them into full-fledged pilots, a top company official said.


"We are looking at training some 35-40 first officers (co-pilots) to bring them on to the right (pilot) seat," SpiceJet Chief Executive Officer, Sanjay Aggarwal, told media here.

The first officers were being upgraded into pilots as the airline had plans to phase out expat pilots by the year-end, Aggarwal said, adding that, "14 first officers are already being upgraded into pilots."

"We have been mandated by the regulatory body, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to phase out expat pilots. So we need to upgrade 35-40 pilots into captains," he said.

The pilot strength in SpiceJet presently stands at 204 RPT 204 of which 106 are co-pilots and 98 captains. Of the 98 captains, 44 are expats.

In addition, 22 first officers are undergoing training and would occupy the left seat shortly, he said.

The Government had recently said that an Indian air-carrier can use a foreign pilot "upto a time limit of four years or July 1, 2010, whichever is earlier."

SpiceJet also plans to hire around 50-60 pilots over the next 12-18 months, Aggarwal said.

"We are also looking at hiring 50-60 pilots over the next 12-18 months and some of them will be taken as captains," he said. With expat pilots to be phased out, the airline would be needing pilots to replace them, Aggarwal said.

The DGCA wants the expat pilots to be phased out, keeping in view the interest of Indians holding Commercial Pilot Licences (CPL).

Of the 5,500-odd pilots that are employed with domestic air-carriers, around 1,000 are belived to be expats.

[Boeing7xx]

I now pronounce Vishal and Sandeep husband and wife :-)

[Left Wing]

"We are looking at training some 35-40 first officers (co-pilots) to bring them on to the right (pilot) seat," SpiceJet Chief Executive Officer, Sanjay Aggarwal, told media here.

What the hell is the CEO talking about ??...did he want to say cadet pilots ....first officers are already on the right seat...the CEO can tell from cadet to FO...:ugh::ugh::{:=

[Nevrekar]

On the subject of FATA's, I was pleasantly surprised to be informed today that the DGCA has extended my FATA until June 2010. which will bring me to 3 years.
The FATA request was done by Spicejet alone. I did not have to do anything to facilitate it other than completing the form.

Regarding the article, yes the nomenclature of right seat to becoming pilots is a bit confusing. There is a definite push to get everyone qualified and everyone will be given a chance when their time comes, based on experience and ability.
Spicejet is also picking up Indian ATPL holders and Indian Capts from other brand X's to join. They are doing what they can to comply with the DGCA mandate.

I think based on the hiring and upgrade program the number of expat pilots will probably be cut by 30-50% in 12-18 months assuming there are no new airplanes added. If the retirement age drops to 58-60, 90% of our expats will be gone.

[Boeing7xx]

Nev, its nice to see that Spicejet is hiring future Captains and not eternal first officers. Looks really good.

[Sky Dancer]

Yeah Spice Jet is really on an aggressive upgrade programme for their crew.They had their planes land on the wrong runway 3 times....they're looking to up that tally and throw in a few more incidents / accidents with the help of the DGCA...:ok:

[Boeing7xx]

Sky dancer, I'm not sure what exactly you're implying. But I believe SG is doing the right thing for the long term.

[Sky Dancer]

Maybe a couple of the guys in Spice would agree with my point of view...they would know what I'm talking about:ok:

[Nevrekar]

Pilot error unfortunately is a part of any aviation operation. While many steps are taken to minimize it, often it reappears. SOPS/CRM/SA are meant to eliminate it and while these concepts have improved safety tremendously, a breakdown in the chain somewhere leads to an incident. No one wishes these kinds on events on anyone, and especially not on their own "watch." Part of DFDR monitoring is also meant for the purpose of revealing trends and/ or problem airports with reference to unstabilized approaches etc. At my old Brand X this information was never used against you, so long as you reported it proactively. It was then used to inform and educate so that the next guy didn't have it. For example, when the Brand X, first got the B737NG, few of us had flown the B737 before, others had not. They found that the NG was a lot harder to slow down and come down during high downwind visual airports at KMCO (Orlando) KATL(Atlanta), KTPA (Tampa) and KDFW (Dallas). Because of the data it was addressed in the next fleet digest.

As far as the Spicejet upgrade program. The airlines are mandated by the DGCA to hire, train and upgrade Indian pilots first and foremost. Perhaps not a popular notion for some, but nonetheless it's a mandate by the Govt. of India. Like any other airline there will be the guys/gals who are cut out for command and others who are not. Note--I said any airline, any country etc.
This is to prevent those of you attempting to start a race war, i.e Indians vs expats. There are just as many good Indian pilots and bad Indian pilots as there are expats in the same category. Civilian/Military etc.

Spicejet is selecting candidates who have the hrs and the ATPL for command.
They are given a sim check first, then a suitability check in the A/C. Then they go through the SIM, 20-30 sector LOFT followed by 10 Route checks.
This is all per the DGCA. The min hr requirement is 2500 hrs. They have to go through this process before they can be released. A selection for command does not imply a 100% guarantee of success. Can a weak candidate somehow slip through the cracks? Yes it can happen here just as it can anywhere else in the world.

On the wrong landings at Spicejet. Unfortunate and something no one would be proud of. No one can guarantee that it will not happen again at Spicejet or any other airline for that matter. The Spicejet ones--1 Indian Capt, and 2 Expat Capts. 2 in Delhi (home airport) and 1 in CCU( Kolkotta).All experienced Capts. It still happened. These kinds of incidents have happened elsewhere.
Singapore B747 took off from closed rwy years ago, KLM took off without clearance in Canary Islands and Struck PanAM, Continental B757 landed on a taxiway in Newark, Delta Airlines etc. etc etc......

You can't be all things to all people. Someone who didn't upgrade and thought they should will be disgruntled. An expat being forced out will predict a doomsday scenario. It's human nature. The Chief Pilots, Trainers, Check Pilots, Examiners have the daunting job of making the decision with regard to who makes the cut and who does not. Let them do the job they were given by the DGCA and the company. If you don't make the upgrade, turn the negative into a positive. See what you could have done better. The next time around you will be a more confident. proficient pilot.

[Sky Dancer]

Nevrekar that was a very well written post and I sincerely appreciate that.There have been many incidents in the past involving countries where they favoured local talent over experience and had in some cases had to pay very dearly for it.I really won't got into the details now but the fact that Spice Jet had 3 wrong runway landings with it's limited fleet and limited years of operation does not speak very well of the airline's safety record.I certainly support the view that local talent should be given priority but that should only be after stringent systems have been put in place.The moment you put national pride first , you are asking for trouble.Having said that the selection process of expats should be equally stringent.The DGCA as regulatory authority should ensure that such process' have been put in place.:ok:

[Nevrekar]

Agreed:ok:

[Nevrekar]

SpiceJet’s expat pilot list to shrink


1 May 2009, 0352 hrs IST, Mithun Roy, ET Bureau



MUMBAI: Spicejet will not renew contracts of 55 foreign pilots, which are due to expire in June, October and December. “We will gradually replace
foreign pilots with Indian talent in order to reduce salary costs,” a senior SpiceJet official told ET. Currently, expat pilots are paid a monthly salary of Rs 5 lakh, plus hotel accommodation of Rs 2 lakh, whereas their Indian counterpart draw Rs 3.6 lakh in a month. Confirming the development, SpiceJet CEO Sanjay Aggarwal said the company will phase out foreign pilots and will follow the rules set by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Currently, SpiceJet has around 250 pilots, including expats. In 2005, the government allowed airline operators to hire foreign co-pilots, senior pilots or commanders till July 2010, as India did not have enough trained pilots. DGCA director general Kanu Gohain had said earlier that 1,490 foreign pilots were given licences last year to seek work in the Indian civil aviation sector. At present, India has 944 foreign pilots, of which 810 are commanders and 134 are co-pilots.

SpiceJet flew more than 4.59 million passengers in the last financial year, compared with about 4.50 million in the previous year. The airline has 19 aircraft, with nine more on order, which will join from early next year. It operates 117 flights daily to 18 cities.

[Nevrekar]

DGCA just dropped the 6 month notice period, and so the "musical chairs" of airline jobs in India will begin. KF will probably lose the majority to other carriers such as Indigo, Paramount & Spicejet plus to ME airlines as well.
A few Spicejet Capts may leave as well given this scenario. Only time will tell.
One thing for sure, for expats, it's time to think about moving on out in the next 12 months. Best wishes to all in their job quest.

[matthewgamm]

@Nevrekar, how much truth is there in that the DGCA dropped the 6-month notice period?

[Capt Apache]

Only if the terms of employment have been violated I guess.Like if your salary is reduced....A healthy start

[saperaa]

This is all per the DGCA. The min hr requirement is 2500 hrs. They have to go through this process before they can be released. A selection for command does not imply a 100% guarantee of success. Can a weak candidate somehow slip through the cracks? Yes it can happen here just as it can anywhere else in the world.



i donot think it can happen in india.

its huge and big long run to .......

sj is new to start upgrade programme without having infrastructure.

i think SPICE JET need to think on updrade, and bond period n money for PIC.
2500 NOT GOOD .
3 years with the company or 2500 on type.

[flaps210]

having come up against ex sj MANAGEMENT pilots i couldnt agree more!!
:ugh::D:oh:

[Boeing7xx]

Heard Jack's put in his papers.... outbound for flydubai. Wonder who takes over now, Vishal, Sandeep or Sultan...

[ABCD Pilot]

Hey, if anybody has any info on First Officer Positions with spice jet, can you please pm me? I have jet experience and an Indian license, and have flown in India for the past two years.

Thanks :ok:

[ninja_turtle]

Anybody from SG here who knows how many FOs were upgraded in recent months and how many are now available for upgrade and any ideas on the numbers that the company in looking at in the coming months ..

Thanks ..

[B737NG_man]

Nevrekar...Hi, do you have a link or proof that the DGCA has dropped the 6 month notice clause? Thanx!!