Struggling to negotiate salaries: Indian Pilots & Cabin Crew

In comparison to their international counterparts, most Indian pilots, cabin crew, and ground handling personnel are under compensated and overworked. The compensation packages of India's largest airlines have yet to be rebuilt to pre-COVID-19 levels, quoting increased fuel costs and limited domestic passenger functions. While IndiGo expects to reestablish salaries to pre-COVID-19 levels for its pilots, cabin crew, and ground handling staff by September, SpiceJet personnel have been dealing with payment delays.

Despite the arrival of airlines such as Akasa Air into the Indian aviation market, salaries and job opportunities for aviation personnel are not predicted to increase in the coming years.

"After the breakdown of Kingfisher and Jet Airways, which has given airlines in India the chance to recruit people at much better costs in the last few years," Lokesh Sharma, a senior aviation consultant, said. He added that, despite employee discontent, the majority of them have spent significant sums of money on training and cannot manage to lose their jobs.

"Indigo and Tata's Air India will not end up losing any skill, whereas SpiceJet and Go Air may lose, because employees at Air India and Indigo realize that whatever happens, they get their paychecks on time," Paul said. While the central government has frequently stated that there is a shortage of pilots, cabin crew, and ground handling staff in India, most existing airlines in India have appointed people who were unable to find work following the bankruptcy of huge established airlines such as Jet Airways in 2018 and Kingfisher in 2016. VK Singh, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, stated in parliament that India requires 1,000 new commercial pilots each year.

According to CAPA - Center for Aviation, India will demand an additional 17,000 pilots over the next ten years, with 9,000 first officers promoted to chiefs.

Second opinion to know the story

However, the scenario on the ground is much more dire.

According to Abhinav Singh, founder of Hercules Aviation Training School, despite the shortage of pilots in the Indian aviation sector, most pilots, cabin crew, and ground handling staff overwork and work overtime to garner higher pay.

"On average, most pilots and cabin crew with less than seven years of work experience in India fly more than 65 hours per week, which is significantly more than the 50 hours per week in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada," Singh said.

The demise of Jet Airways, the COVID-19 pandemic, the grounding of Boeing 737 Max aircraft, and the public ownership of Air India have all reduced India's fleet addition in the last five years.

"IndiGo has introduced nearly 80% of India's aircraft capacity in the last five years and is predicted to be the airline with the greatest volume addition for the next two years as well," said a senior aviation official. He went on to say that while IndiGo has hired the most pilots from the interactive industry, it has recommended establishing its own skill set through partner aviation initiatives. However, senior ground handling staff, pilots, and cabin crew are in high demand in India.

"Pilots, ground crew, and cabin crew with more than a decade of experience are in great supply as airlines expand capacity in India," Sharma said. While senior officials are in high demand, they account for less than 20% of total aviation sector employees.

Upcoming betterment ahead?

Nevertheless, due to most Indian airlines' advancement proposals, the ground reality for aviation personnel in India is expected to change.. The fleets of IndiGo, Air India, GoFirst, Vistara, Akasa Air, Jet Airways, and SpiceJet are all predicted to expand.

• Air India is predicted to process up to 300 narrow-body planes in the coming months. IndiGo has over 550 Airbus A320neos and A321neos on order, with plans to increase its fleet to 300 by 2024-25.
• Akasa Air has ordered 72 Boeing 737 Max jets, and Jet Airways is anticipated to place an order in the coming months.
• GoFirst intends to provide 10 aircraft per year until 2024-25, followed by another 72 aircraft between 2024-25 and 2026-27. SpiceJet intends to take delivery of seven Boeing 737 Max jets this year, while negotiating delivery of the carrier's order for 155 Boeing planes.

To function their expanding fleets in the coming years, all of these airlines will need to hire pilots, cabin crew, ground handling personnel, and engineering personnel.