Ten days after signing record aircraft purchase orders, Air India on Friday announced plans to hire over 4,200 cabin crew trainees and 900 pilots in 2023 to prepare for the induction of new aircraft.
Earlier this month, the Tata group controlled carrier announced plans to purchase 470 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus to support its growth plans. It has already announced plans to lease 36 aircraft, out of which two B 777-200 LR have already joined the fleet.
The cabin crew will undergo a 15-week programme imparting safety and service skills, and will be coached to exemplify the best of Indian hospitality and Tata group culture.
The training programme will include extensive classroom and in-flight training at the airline’s training facility in Mumbai as well as familiarisation flights.
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Between May 2022-February 2023, Air India has hired over 1,900 cabin crew staff. In the past three months, 500 cabin crew members out of these have joined flight duties.
Depending on the type, an aircraft requires between 10-15 pilots, as per estimates. According to PTI, Air India will require more than 6,500 pilots to operate the 470 aircraft which it plans to induct beginning the second half of this year.
With a fleet of 113 aircraft, Air India has around 1,600 pilots. The Air India group has around 227 aircraft translating to a pilot strength of around 3,000.
Air India’s latest order, which was also the single largest in the world, comprises 210 A320/321 Neo/XLR and 40 A350-900/1000.
The Boeing order comprises 190 737-Max, 20 787s and 10 777s.
Sandeep Verma, head, inflight services said, “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 of more pilots and maintenance engineers.”