Airlines industry salaries to shoot up by 30%; carriers scout for staff

Mumbai: The promise by Jet Airways last month, to restore staff salaries that were slashed during the downturn in 2008, is possibly the first sign that things are looking up in the airlines industry . With Indian carriers expanding operations and scouting the market for pilots, cabin crew and ground staff, watchers say a 25-30% hike in pay from the current levels, may be in the air.
“There is recovery in the sector, and we see a jump in salaries of about 25-30% from the current base levels,” says Kamal Karanth, MD of the global staffing company Kelly Services India. Moreover, ancillary airlines businesses are also likely to throw up many new job opportunities relating to the maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft.
After two years in a slump, the numbers are finally stacking up for Indian aviation. Airlines flew 520.21 lakh passengers last year — up 18.7% from 2009. This year, they are tipped to exhibit a 20% growth. This will translate into airlines hiring between 4,500-5,000 staffers across categories this year as they add 20% to their carrying capacity.
Government estimates suggest that on an average, every carrier in India will also add 30-40 aircraft per year over the next seven or eight years to its existing fleet, thereby creating more positions in terms of cabin crew and ground staff.
Airlines are trying to restore salaries to 2008 levels. “Since business is now generating cash, we need to put pressure on managements to restore salaries,” says a senior Jet Airways pilot. “While it will take time for this to happen, the salaries of new hires and expats have gone through the roof.”
Adds Rahul Goyal, president of HR consulting firm MaFoi Randstad: “There will be a 30-40% jump in the salaries of ground operators. Pilots will get the top slot in salaries.”
Even so, pilots will not have reason to cheer. With a dearth of senior Indian commanders, airlines, in a hurry to staff are looking at expatriate pilots. They don’t come cheap; on an average, they make one-and-a-half times more than a senior Indian commander with a private airlines, who gets Rs 5.5 lakh per month. With more foreigners willing to join Indian carriers, airlines are now spoilt for choice.
04/02/11 Manisha Singhal/Economic Times