IndiGo bucks trend, plans to hire 50 pilots

MUMBAI: IndiGo, the country�s largest budget carrier, has decided to hire
nearly 50 pilots for its Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Jaipur
operations.



When contacted, IndiGo president
Aditya Ghosh confirmed the development to ET. �We are looking to hire 30-50
captains. These are near-term requirements and we will complete the process in
the coming weeks,� Mr Ghosh said.



Delhi-based IndiGo will pay around Rs 5 lakh per month to the pilots, including
accommodation allowance, depending on the experience and positions of them.The
country�s third largest carrier employs 228 pilots for its fleet of 19. Of this,
104 pilots are also CAT III qualified and trained.



The Indigo Airlines
needs more pilots as it plans to increase the number of flights over the next
fiscal and raise frequency at Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai
sectors. The airline plans to add 30 destinations in the country by 2010. It has
more than 100 flights, connecting 20 destinations and controls 14.7% market
share.



The fresh recruitment of pilots by IndiGo comes at a time when
Kingfisher Airlines and
Jet Airways had asked their
pilots, among others, to leave. Jet had offered a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS)
to more than 300 staff.