Air India Announces Major Recruitment Drive

DALLAS - The Tata Group-owned airline Air India (AI) announced on Friday that it will hire more than 4,200 flight attendants and 900 pilots in 2023. The decision has been made as part of a major reorganisation that saw the company place orders for a record-breaking 470 jets at the beginning of this month.

After joining the Tata Group again last year, Air India has undergone a major revamp in an effort to repair its reputation.

The airline grabbed record deals for new Airbus and Boeing aircraft earlier this month. The jumbo order looks to take advantage of the robust demand for air travel in India.

The most recent order was the single-largest purchase ever made. It consists of 210 A320/321 Neo/XLR and 40 A350-900/1000 aircraft from Airbus. Meanwhile, the Boeing deal includes 20 787s, ten 777s, and 190 737-Max planes.

Demand for Staff

Between May 2022 and February 2023, AI hired more than 1,900 cabin crew members. Out of these, 500 cabin crew employees have started working on flights in the last three months.

According to Sandeep Verma, the head of inflight services, “With the new aircraft order, more flights on international and domestic networks and re-alignment of domestic routes with Air India Express, cabin crew will play a decisive role. We are also looking to step up hiring more pilots and maintenance engineers.”

Depending on the type, an aircraft is estimated to need between 10-15 pilots. Therefore the airline will need more than 6,500 pilots to fly the 470 aircraft it expects to introduce starting in the second half of this year, according to PTI.

With a fleet of 113 aircraft, Air India has roughly 1,600 pilots. The Air India group has about 227 aircraft, which equates to over 3,000 pilots.

Training Program

New crew members will participate in a 15-week training curriculum that teaches safety and customer service skills. They will also receive coaching on how to effectively represent Indian hospitality and Tata Group culture.

The training plan will include comprehensive classroom and in-flight training at the airline's training facility in Mumbai as well as familiarisation flights.

Featured Image: Air India Boeing 787-8 (VT-ANU) "Star Alliance" livery. Photo: Johann Heske/Airways.