Indian firm eyeing Changi Airport staff

Headhunters scouting for airport talent are eyeing staff at Singapore’s Changi in hopes of luring qualified people to fill key positions in India, media reports said Wednesday.
Infrastructure giant GMR Group, leading the consortia tasked with building and running new airports in New Delhi and Hyderabad, has hired a recruitment firm in the city-state to fill 15 key positions in airport management, operations and ground handling, according to The Straits Times.
While foreign carriers such as Emirates regularly conduct pilot and cabin-crew recruitment exercises in Singapore and elsewhere, GMR is believed to be the first foreign airport operator to advertise for staff in the city-state in a significant way.
With Changi’s reputed brand name and many more airport development projects in India, the Middle East and China coming up, keeping good people will be a growing challenge for the airport, said analyst Shukor Yusof of Standard and Poor’s Equity Research.
Middle East companies have demonstrated they are prepared to ‘over-pay’ to attract good people, Yusof said.
GMR’s recruitment drive coincides with a pay-structure review by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).
21/03/07 IANS/Malaysia Sun