Jet Airways plans to hire 30 Indian pilots

Mumbai: After a year-long freeze, the country’s largest private carrier Jet Airways has started recruiting pilots to man proposed expansion of operations. The Naresh Goyal-controlled company, which withdrew its decision to sack 1,900 cabin crew following political pressure in November last year, is understood to be looking at hiring 25-30 Indian pilots, said a person close to the matter.
Jet employs nearly 700 Indian and 150 foreign pilots.
An aviation analyst said other domestic carriers may follow suit, as the air traffic started moving up. In October, domestic traffic went up to 39 lakh passengers from 31 lakh a year ago. When contacted, the Jet Airways spokeswoman declined to divulge number of pilots being recruited.
She said in an e-mail: “Jet Airways has a current requirement for type-rated commanders only, and will be recruiting suitable candidates for immediate induction into its system.” She also added: “This requirement is also due to the recent enhancement of our Boeing 737 fleet and the proposed additional frequencies and services expected to take off shortly.”
26/11/09 Mithun Roy/Economic Times