Air India Express to get its own wings

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