Indian pilots make a beeline for Gulf airlines

[Naim 6]

Pilots make a beeline for Gulf airlines

9 Nov 2008, 0334 hrs IST, Shobha John, TNN

 

NEW DELHI: This brain drain could strike a blow to India's growing aviation sector. Many pilots, including senior commanders with over 13,000 hours of flying, are applying for jobs in Gulf carriers due to job insecurity that's hit almost all the domestic airlines. As one commander says, "You never know which airline shuts here when." India's loss could well be the Gulf's gain.

 

The Gulf carriers include Emirates, its low-cost carrier flydubai, Qatar, Ethihad, Air Arabia, Gulf Air and Oman Airlines. Even though flydubai will get its first aircraft only in 2009 and commence operations thereafter, pilots have started applying in droves. Sources say some 50 Jet, 10 Spicejet, 22-30 Jetlite and many pilots from Kingfisher have sent their job applications to the low-cost airline.

 

The main reason for this flight plan is the pilots' disappointment with the business ethics of airlines here. Says a private airline pilot who wants to move to flydubai, "Money is not everything. We're insecure about the way airlines are treating us. It's not fair and square here. I've known instructors being told by airline managements not to clear the route checks of certain pilots whom they perceive as troublesome. Abroad, once you sign a contract, it is honoured." Besides, Gulf carriers, are richer and more stable.

 

A Kingfisher commander, who has applied in 3-4 Gulf airlines, says, "I was a 737 pilot before I joined Kingfisher. I spent Rs 30 lakh for training on the A-340s in Madrid, but was later told by Kingfisher that it wouldn't be buying these planes and I could join the A-320 fleet. I feel let down. I now have to pay a bank loan of Rs 75,000 every month."

 

However, Kingfisher's spokesman says, "We had to renew our international expansion plans due to the meltdown. But we're offering these pilots a job on the A-320s and Kingfisher will bear the costs of training. All, except six, have taken it."

 

There's also dissatisfaction among Indian pilots about expats getting more salaries while they suffer pay cuts. "Indian pilots need an equal playing field in India," says another pilot. Plus, they can't leave an airline unless a six-month notice is given by them. Says one captain, "I know of pilots in Jetlite who had almost served their six-month notice and were promised a job elsewhere, only to find the offer withdrawn at the last minute."

 

The lure of flying the latest planes is also drawing pilots abroad. Flydubai, for example, will have a fleet of 54 Boeing 737-800s. Says a Jet pilot with over 8,000 flying hours, "If I get chosen, I'll also get a chance to be upgraded to the wide-bodied planes Emirates has."

 

In fact, Capt Jati Dhillon, V-P operations, Spicejet, says this brain drain is good. "The situation in India is not bright. If expats can come here and fly, why shouldn't Indians fly to the Gulf? Aviation growth is good there. It's time India changed pilot licenses so that they're internationally recognized." Besides, with a glut of co-pilots here, India can afford to let many pilots go, he says.

 

Emirates, incidentally, has 2,201 pilots, 29 of whom are Indians, says its spokesman. In the last recruitment in July 2008, nine Indians participated. "We've always received interest from Indian pilots due to our long-term career prospects, proven commercial success, sound financials, latest aircraft, young fleet and global network," he says.

 

Compare this to airlines in India. Says a Spicejet commander who applied in flydubai, "Airlines in India lack clarity in work policies, especially with regard to seniority, future security and financial viability." Salaries are an added attraction. For captains with a minimum of 5,000 flying hours and a minimum 500 hours in command in B737s, flydubai is offering 57,000 dirhams tax free (over Rs 6 lakh); instructors and examiners get another 3,000 dirhams extra. In India, commanders in private airlines make about half that amount.

 

But it won't be a cakewalk. International airlines have tougher standards and most take co-pilots with a minimum of 2,500 hours of flying. In India, on the other hand, most are fresh pilots who are then trained by airlines.

 

A spokesman for flydubai says, "We're progressing on many fronts from recruitment to procurement. We're on-track with our preparations and will soon be launching our marketing campaign." He refused to elaborate further.

 

Looks like the good times will roll for Indian pilots, not here, but abroad.

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/article...23,flstry-1.cms

 

[Pieter C. 5]

More Indian news:

 

India Wants Airlines To Cut Fares After Fuel Price Fall

 

November 23, 2008

India's airlines should cut airfares after jet fuel prices eased, the federal aviation minister said on Saturday.

 

Fares rose by almost half last year but should start coming down by the New Year, Praful Patel, whose ministry controls state-run carrier Air India, said at a conference.

 

Patel's call to cut prices follows a similar proposal by the federal finance minister to property, airlines, hotels and auto firms earlier this week to help stimulate the economy.

 

Growth is slowing after an average expansion of 9 percent or more over the last three years

 

"Now with fuel prices on the downward... you must match it with the perception that fares are coming down," Patel said.

 

The federal government has asked state-run oil firms to revise jet fuel prices every 15 days and extend credit to airlines. The aviation ministry is also seeking to cut sales tax on jet fuel to 4 percent by the year-end.

 

Jet fuel, which accounts for about 45 percent of an Indian carrier's costs, is among the most expensive in the world due to sales tax of up to 30 percent in some Indian states.

 

Record oil prices have pushed airlines to the brink, forcing them to raise fares to stay in business after the deepest global financial crisis in 80 years cut off other funding options.

 

But higher fares have also scared away passengers. Air traffic grew by only 2.3 percent between April and August compared to 38 percent a year earlier, government data showed.

 

Though oil prices have dropped lately, airlines resisted cutting prices as total costs are still high and their combined loss in the year to March 2009 is expected to be close to USD$2 billion.

 

"I certainly would not like to close the company," said Naresh Goyal, the chairman of top domestic airline Jet Airway. "We would do anything the ministry wants us to do provided we are profitable."

 

(Reuters)

 

[Euan 0]

55K UAE dirhams...thats almost equivalent to RM57K...

is that per month ?

[Pieter C. 5]

Indian Carriers See Temporary Slowdown After Attacks

 

December 1, 2008

Indian airlines have seen some slowdown in passenger traffic following last week's deadly attacks in Mumbai, but said on Monday they expect it to be temporary and said operations were running on schedule.

 

Private carrier Jet Airways said it had seen an immediate impact on flights out of Mumbai, which it expected to normalize within the week, but overall operations, both domestic and international, were largely unaffected.

 

"There have been marginal cancellations of bookings for flights out of Mumbai in the domestic sector for December, however incoming traffic from overseas is in line with expectations," a Jet Airways spokeswoman said.

 

"Outgoing flights (from Mumbai) have been marginally affected as there are less people traveling, but we are hoping it would be back to normal soon," she said.

 

Budget carrier SpiceJet said it has not rescheduled or cut any flights, and was still assessing the situation.

 

"There has been a temporary slowdown... over the last few days people would not want to go in or out of Mumbai. By the end of this week we should get a clearer trend," chief commercial officer Samyukth Sridharan said.

 

Kingfisher Airlines, which rescheduled some Mumbai flights over the weekend, said no further rescheduling was planned.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Jet Airways Lowers Expat Staff, Wages

 

December 4, 2008

India's Jet Airways has reduced its expatriate staff including pilots and cut salaries to help beat a slowdown that has gripped the aviation industry, the company said on Wednesday.

 

The airline, which saw some cancellations in bookings on some domestic routes following last week's deadly attacks in Mumbai, said its senior management had voluntarily accepted a 25 percent reduction in salaries from December.

 

All staff earning a gross salary of more than INR75,000 rupees (USD$1,500) a month have been asked to accept a graduated wage cut over the next 12 months, Jet said in a statement.

 

It did not say how many expatriate positions had been cut.

 

Jet Airways, which operates a fleet of 85 aircraft, said for pilots this would be in the form of a combination of wage cut and allowance rationalization.

 

In October, Jet Airways had reinstated 800 sacked flight attendants following protests in cities and demands for a probe by politicians.

 

The carrier, which posted a net loss of INR3.84 billion in the September quarter, has over the past few months cut routes, reduced its frequency of flights and pruned down overseas expansion plans.

 

Along with smaller rival Kingfisher Airlines, the two carriers are also planning to return 14 narrow bodied leased aircraft following a code sharing alliance between the two in October.

 

Jet has said it expects the difficult market conditions to continue and has struggled to raise money with the turbulent market delaying a planned USD$400 million rights issue as well as a stake sale by founder Naresh Goyal.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

More 'bad' Jet Airways news

 

Jet To Lease Out 5 Planes To Other Carriers

 

December 8, 2008

Indian carrier Jet Airways said on Monday it would lease out five aircraft to other airlines on a wet-lease basis.

 

It would lease out two aircraft to Gulf Air for four months and three aircraft to Turkish Airlines for six months, the company said in a statement.

 

Under wet lease agreements, the operational control and maintenance responsibility of the aircraft would remain with Jet, it said.

 

(Reuters)