Air India Express, the
low-cost arm of Air India Charters, will become an independent company
in five years after cutting the umbilical cord with the parent company,
top officials of Air India Express said here on Thursday.
Addressing
the media after the 187th board meeting of the company, Air India
Express deputy chief operating officer Captain Pushpinder Singh also
said that the airline’s headquarters in Kochi would become fully
functional from January 2013.
“AI Express will have its own crew
and aviators in the next five years. Commanders and pilots who are on
deputation with us from Air India will return to the parent company
gradually and these posts will be filled through fresh recruitment,” he
said.
Steps were being taken to recruit more pilots. “We have 180
pilots against the actual requirement of 250. Of these, 166 are on
deputation from Air India. We are planning to recruit 60 commanders and
50 pilots,’’ he said.
He added that the salary for pilots would
be revised to make it the best in the industry. However, they were
focusing on optimum utilisation of its aviators to provide better
service. “It has been decided at the meeting to hire pilot instructors
from abroad. These foreign instructors will enhance the strength of the
existing commanders and will also ensure that trainee pilots are getting
ready to join service at the earliest.
“Instructions have also been given to upgrade senior commanders as instructor pilots,” he said.
In
the next three years, AI Express will acquire 14 aircraft taking the
total number of flights to 35. “Though we have 21 aircraft at present,
we are able to use only 17 due to shortage of pilots,’’ he said.
Regarding
the AI Express headquarters in Kochi, Capt Singh said senior officers
from operations, flight safety, commercial, finance and flight
coordination would be deputed to the Kochi office. “A call centre for
Kerala will be set up in the first quarter of 2013,’’ he said.
Ministry
of Civil Aviation Joint Secretary Rajashekera Reddy, Retired Air Chief
Marshal Fali H Major, Air India finance director S Venkat, Air India
engineering director K M Unni, commercial director Deepak Brara and Air
India Express chief operating officer Ansbert D’Souza were present at
the board meeting.
Source: http://newindianexpress.com
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