The airline nobody wants to work for?
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 48
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From: Canada
The airline nobody wants to work for?
The airline nobody wants to work for?
IT’S one of the biggest airlines in India, so when it opened its doors for a series of job interviews last week it expected a flood of applicants.
However, the recruitment drive ended in “deep embarrassment” for Air India when nobody showed up, according to the local news website Hindustan Times.
Held over two days in Hyderabad, the fourth biggest city in India, officials were seeking to fill 197 open commander (captain) and first officer positions.
The airline had even flown in a panel of senior officials and experts for the special event.
So what went wrong?
An unnamed airline official told the Hindustan Times that it was the first time the airline had organised walk-in interviews and the event was “mismanaged”.
“The board members were lodged in five-star hotels, and not a single person turned up,” the staff member said. “Ideally, applications should have been invited online and panellists flown in only if there were applicants.”
Another crew member said: “It’s a statement on the state of affairs at Air India that a once-sought-after job failed to attract a single applicant.”
The airline has been dealing with a lack of crew since last year, which has caused flight delays and cancellations. It was also left red-faced in January when it forgot to schedule pilots on a flight and was forced to ground it.
The situation is so dire that the Indian government has announced plans for “anti-poaching” rules which would bar airlines from stealing crew and pilots from each another.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma told the Indian Express that the poaching of staff “results in crippling shortage of trained manpower for airlines” — such as in Air India’s case.
The airline has only managed to stay afloat with help from the government under a bailout program granting them a package of $6 billion in April 2012.
news.com.au has contacted the airline for further comment.
However, the recruitment drive ended in “deep embarrassment” for Air India when nobody showed up, according to the local news website Hindustan Times.
Held over two days in Hyderabad, the fourth biggest city in India, officials were seeking to fill 197 open commander (captain) and first officer positions.
The airline had even flown in a panel of senior officials and experts for the special event.
So what went wrong?
An unnamed airline official told the Hindustan Times that it was the first time the airline had organised walk-in interviews and the event was “mismanaged”.
“The board members were lodged in five-star hotels, and not a single person turned up,” the staff member said. “Ideally, applications should have been invited online and panellists flown in only if there were applicants.”
Another crew member said: “It’s a statement on the state of affairs at Air India that a once-sought-after job failed to attract a single applicant.”
The airline has been dealing with a lack of crew since last year, which has caused flight delays and cancellations. It was also left red-faced in January when it forgot to schedule pilots on a flight and was forced to ground it.
The situation is so dire that the Indian government has announced plans for “anti-poaching” rules which would bar airlines from stealing crew and pilots from each another.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma told the Indian Express that the poaching of staff “results in crippling shortage of trained manpower for airlines” — such as in Air India’s case.
The airline has only managed to stay afloat with help from the government under a bailout program granting them a package of $6 billion in April 2012.
news.com.au has contacted the airline for further comment.
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,415
Likes: 2
From: Europe
plans for “anti-poaching” rules which would bar airlines from stealing crew and pilots from each another
Good opportunities for 197 non-Indian contractors, maybe, if they can persuade any that working for AI as a non-Indian contractor is a good move.
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,103
Likes: 5
From: Chabanais, France
There was a thread here some time ago about working, as an expat, for AI.
One poster, a training Captain, said never again, the other captains treat ex pats very badly, even trainers. Interesting post but I can't find it!
One poster, a training Captain, said never again, the other captains treat ex pats very badly, even trainers. Interesting post but I can't find it!
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,415
Likes: 2
From: Europe
One poster, a training Captain, said never again, the other captains treat ex pats very badly
if they can persuade any that working for AI as a non-Indian contractor is a good move.
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 180
Likes: 3
From: 30W
Just imagine all the signing, surely there is a pen/ink allowance.
But and imagine all the fun that could be had with the ground agents..... For an onetime departure we are defiantly going to need a fifteen foot alligator drinking a piña collada. "Yes sir, on its way sir, two minutes".
But and imagine all the fun that could be had with the ground agents..... For an onetime departure we are defiantly going to need a fifteen foot alligator drinking a piña collada. "Yes sir, on its way sir, two minutes".
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 193
Likes: 1
From: Sand free now
Have a friend who was an AI "commander". He says the worst thing for expat pilots is the attitude of crewing and management. Pure contempt sums it up. They would go out of their way to screw you over. Same I expect as that experienced by those who had to suffer the attitude of Indian crewing employed by at least one of the mid east 3.
