AI looks for foreign pilots to man its flights

KOCHI: Failing to attract desi aviators to operate its Boeing 737-800 fleet, low-cost carrier Air India Express is thinking of hiring foreign commanders and pilots. Aimed at uninterrupted service, the airline had launched a recruitment drive for pilots in which preference was given to Indians. “But there was a lukewarm response and the number of pilots who applied 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.The 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, of which 15 are expatriates.“We prefer Indians as hiring expatriate commanders is expensive. However, we are left with no option,” Chandrakumar said.The remuneration for a commander with AI Express is $100,000(`4.94 lakh) per month. Aimed at luring native aviators, the airline had announced extra perks that amount to `1 lakh. Chandrakumar said the lack of pilots was one of the reasons for clubbing some services when the company had to reschedule its flights after the guidelines under Window of Circadian Low (WOCL) came into force in February.The Kochi-headquartered airline, which mainly operates flights mainly to the Gulf region, was to base some of its pilots in Kochi, Kozhikode and Mangalore.  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, which cause an additional expenses for the management.