Cash-hit AI to spend lakhs for big bird plan
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Air India
MUMBAI: Going by the way Air India conducts its business, it's hard to believe that the airline is neck-deep in debt. At a time when India has hundreds of unemployed Commercial Pilot License (CPL) holders who are qualified to fly Boeing 737 aircraft, the airline is planning to recruit retired Indian Air Force pilots and spend about Rs 25 lakh to train each of them to fly Boeing 737s to absorb them into Air India Express.
What's worse is that a batch of about 30 pilots has been waiting to be absorbed as trainee co-pilots in Air India Express since the last one year. "These pilots have self-funded their Boeing 737 training. The airline will not have to spend time and money on their type-rating programme. This batch alone means a saving of about Rs 7.5 crore," said a source. A type-rating programme involves classroom and simulator training to enable a pilot to fly a particular aircraft type. "The shortlisted pilots had cleared interviews, simulator tests etc last October. But after that, there was no word from the airline," the source added. Air India Express has not filled any vacancies to the post of co-pilot since then.