Air India grows substantially with hiring of 550 cabin crew members and 50 pilots per month

The airline expects to have six A350 and eight B777 aircraft by the end of this year. So far, the carrier has taken 9 B777 planes on lease.

Air India's chairman Campbell Wilson on Monday said that the airline is hiring 550 cabin crew members and 50 pilots every month and intends to have six wide-body A350 jets in its fleet by the end of this year, citing a "healthy start" to its five-year transformation plan.

After taking over the reins from the government in January last year, Tata Group has put in place various measures to turn around the fortunes of the loss-making carrier, including placing the largest order for 470 planes and expanding international operations.

Earlier this month, Wilson told employees that Air India & Air India Express have hired more than 3,900 people since the start of this year.

Talking about the airline's hiring plans, Wilson, who is the managing director and CEO, said there is no target per se, but about 550 cabin crew members and 50 pilots are coming in and trained afresh every month.

"In the case of cabin crew members, it is about ten times and in the case of pilots, it is about five times on an annual rate of the pre-privatised airline," he told PTI in an interview in the national capital.