By Dev Varam
BOMBAY, Aug 11, Reuter: More than a quarter of the pilots working for India’s flag carriers, Air India and Indian Airlines, have applied for better paired jobs with three foreign airlines, the Indian pilots guild said on Thursday.
Given a chance, everyone would like to quit, said guild vice president Shankar Roy in an interview.
Out of 1,300 pilots employed by the two Indian airlines, 350 have applied for advertised jobs with Gulf Air, Singapore Airlines and Emirates Airlines, he said.
Roy said there was a big shortage of senior pilots and Gulf air, for instance, was offering up to 95,000 rupees (6,800 dollars) a month to pilots.
That compares with the 6,000 rupees (430 dollars) a month, after taxes but before special allowances, of Air India pilots, Roy said.
A spokesman for Indian Airlines, the country’s main domestic carrier, said in New Delhi that he knew some pilots had applied for jobs elsewhere but could not confirm the number.
There was no real concern about the applications and flights would not be affected even if some of the pilots found jobs with other airlines.
Roy said his guild had information that the Indian government had asked the Singapore authorities not to consider Indian pilots for any jobs.
It is very unethical he said.
The Indian Airlines spokesman said he was not aware of any such government request.
Roy said the three foreign airlines had advertised jobs during the past year. Gulf air needed 150 pilots and Singapore Airlines more than 200.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 19, 1988
