PROCTOR AVIATION - Recruitment for Air India
I have a totally different experience with Proctor Aviation!
Since January 2022 Air India has been taken over by the TATA Group. Before that Air India was a government owned airline with not such a good reputation. A lot of bureaucracy and lack of planning. However since last year they have put up a program of 3 years to renew the airline and make it an airline with status again and good reputation. They are only half way..... Still a lot of things need to be improved, but they are doing the best they can! And they are slowly but surely improving.
Now Proctor Aviation has been given the task to recruit experienced expat B777 Captains to join Air India and help them to expand their fleet. I am one of them.... I joined Air India through Proctor Aviation since half of April 2023. 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off. I am in the second group of Captains they have hired. I must say some experience and adventure! I would not have wanted to miss it!
From the first day on we have been treated very nicely! I feel very welcome!
To give you an example.. On our very first day of training they said: "So nice to have so many years of experience here in the classroom?! I hope we can learn from you too!"
We have experienced pilots in our class from Italy, France, Netherlands, Thailand and even Russia. The atmosphere in our class is great! Couldn't hope for better. :-)
We have stayed for almost a month in a very luxury 5 star hotel to begin with.... We asked if we could see our apartments before we had to move, which was organized right away.
The compound they have found for us in Gurugram is called "Center Parc & resort" It's a gated compound with over 20 high buildings among a green parc. Golfcarts bring you from one end to the other. There is a very nice "Clubhouse", 3 (nice) restaurants, a very nice professional gym, inside and outside pool, squash court, table tennis tables, Spa and so on.... Mainly expats are living here on the compound. Transportation to and from the various training centers is provided. Even a nice (European) breakfast is included in one of the restaurants in the "Clubhouse".
Yes, I am sharing a 3 bedroom apartment with one of my colleagues, but not because we had to? But because we requested to do so! We are having a great time here in India..... :-)
Proctor Aviation is definitely not always to blame for the things that go wrong... Yes, once and a while they do. But this is in my opinion because of the transformation that Air India is going through and still needs to go through. That take time but they do their best....
Proctor has helped us to set up a bank account (which is not easy here in India, I can tell!) with Axis Bank, a large international bank. It took them 4-5 weeks to open the bankaccount and get us our debit cards. The day I received my debit card, proctor transferred my first salary immediately to my account. They also helped my to transfer it abroad since I wanted it the be on my home bankaccount.This process took about 5 working days.... Which seems to be normal for me.... given the situation. So I have no complains about that! On the contrary!
Also getting our FATA (Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorization) is a big thing here in India... Proctor is helping us where they can... But it is the authorities that are demanding very strange and difficult demands.... Some times very unnecessary or impossible demands! This has delayed the process of our FATA and training course significant..... Without FATA we are not aloud to fly an Air India a/c or even to join the Aviation Security course (AVSEC).... After 8,5 weeks I finally received my FATA. I have now my AVSEC and my simulator training (OCC - Operators Conversion Course) of about 4 sessions to go, before I can really enjoy my profession again! :-) This first training part takes definitely much longer then necessary, but hey we are getting paid from day 1! So I am not complaining if it takes a bit longer... Why should I?
My conclusion:
PROCTOR AVATION is hardly to blame for the mishaps! They are either made by Air India (old habits) or the Authorities!
PROCTOR AVIATION is treating us with respect and they help us where they can. They are honest and keep their promises. Surely they make a mistake once in a while... don't we all?
So I invite any B777 Captain with enough experience to join Air India thru PROCTOR AVIATION and experience a nice adventure! :-)
p.s you can message me for more information if you like....