KOCHI: It seems there are not many takers for the lucrative offers dropped by Air India Express in its bid to recruit native pilots to operate the Boeing 737-800 fleet. Aimed at uninterrupted service, the low-coast arm of Air India had launched a recruitment drive for pilots in which preference was given to Indians.The aim of the Kochi-headquartered company, which mainly serves caters to the Gulf region, was to base some of its pilots in Kochi, Kozhikode and Mangalore from where AI Express operates a major share of its flights.“We did not get the required number of aviators even after announcing plush offers. The number is so poor that it has not even crossed five,” said S Chandrakumar, chief operating officer of AI Express. The airline’s plan was to recruit 25 commanders and 20 co-pilots.Currently, AI Express commanders and co-pilots are based in Mumbai. For operating a flight, they have to come all the way from Mumbai to these cities. Considering expenses incurred for accommodating them in hotels and the travel costs, the best option for the company was to base them in the respective cities. The company also announced additional allowances of Rs 1 lakh. The remuneration for a commander with AI Express is $100,000 (Rs 4.94 lakh) per month.AI Express fleet consists of 21 B737-800 aircraft and it operates nearly 100 flights per week, mainly from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. At present, the airline has 108 commanders, out of which 15 are expatriates.“Hiring expatriate commanders is expensive. That is why we look for Indians,” said Chandrakumar.Chandrakumar said that the lack of pilots was one of the reasons for clubbing of some services when the company had to reschedule its flights after the guide-lines under Window of Circadian Low (WOCL) came into force in February this year.“Clubbing of certain services were essential to ensure uninterrupted service,” he added.
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