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Air-India plans recruitment after 4-year hiatus

Rumi Dutta

After a freeze on recruitments in the last 4 years, the national carrier Air-India finally plans to recruit staff at various levels. The fresh recruitment programme starts the next month wherein the airline is looking at recruiting aircraft engineer trainees and cabin crew.

Confirming the development, an A-I spokesperson said, "We have lifted the embargo on fresh recruitment after 4 years. With our expansion plans taking shape, we would be recruiting engineer trainees and cabin crew starting next month onwards."

The new recruits are primarily for the three dry-leased A-310 aircraft that are to be added to the existing Air-India fleet by the end of June.

A-I is, however, not looking at recruiting pilots for the additional aircraft.

Currently, the other key functional areas which require fresh recruitment are being identified, sources said.

However, they refused to divulge details on the exact number of heads the airline is looking at adding. "The move is in line with the ongoing restructuring at the operational level. The recruitments would be fully need based and we are not in a position to disclose a figured at this juncture."

The total staff strength of the national airline is 16,800 against a peak of 18,900 around 4 years ago. The present employee strength is the lowest in the last 20 years.

A-I, in the past, had embarked on a major manpower restructuring exercise, however, without any voluntary retirement scheme being launched.

The airline offered its employees to go on a leave for two years and reduced the number of working days from 5 to 3 days a week. It also redeployed employees from non-operational areas to key functional areas as a part of reorganising the staff.

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