Air India plans to employ 500 cabin crew

Disinvestment-bound Air India plans to hire 500 cabin crew members as the national carrier prepares to induct more aircraft and meet new regulatory requirements, a senior official has said.

The government is working out the modalities for strategic stake sale in the loss-making airline, which reported a net loss of Rs 5,765.16 crore last fiscal. The official said the airline plans to hire 500 cabin crew to meet various requirements, including to comply with aviation regulator DGCA’s revised norms wherein an airline should have a higher number of such staff.

Besides, more cabin crew would be required as more aircraft such as the A320 Neos are being inducted in the coming months, the official added.

“The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has put in place new norms, under which now flights, particularly on the ultra-long haul routes should have higher number of cabin crew. Besides, we are also expanding our operations by adding new aircraft such as the B777s and A320Neos,” the official told PTI. In addition, the normal attrition has also necessitated hiring of the cabin crew, the official added.

According to a public notice, the airline is looking to hire 500 male/female cabin crew for its Northern, Delhi and the Western regions on a ‘fixed term engagement basis’. It was in 2016, Air India had hired 800 cabin crew, one of the largest hiring exercises in the industry. The national airline has cabin crew strength of 3,500 at present.