Wage cuts might drive Indian pilots to take flight to Gulf

The Middle East airlines might once again prove to the life line for Indian pilots, as Indian private airlines, which had earlier cut capacity, are now negotiating with pilots and engineers to lower their wages by 20 to 25 per cent.
There are however, a few options open for Indian pilots as Middle East, Korea and China continue to hire, according to a report in India’s Mint newspaper.
Middle East airlines, which have had a huge fleet expansion in the works, might prove to be a ray of hope for the flight deck personnel during this current downturn as they continue to hire not just in India but also from other international markets, the spokespersons of airlines said. Though other markets are hiring, Middle East has always been attractive because of its proximity to the subcontinent.
Captain Steve Freeman of Futureairlinepilots.com, a pilot recruitment firm told Emirates Business: “The economic downturn has proved difficult for airlines in Europe and US, more so than the Middle East.”
Airline spokesmen said that the airlines continued to hire pilots, co-pilots and engineers. The websites of Air Arabia, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Etihad and Emirates confirm vacancies for flight deck personnel.
Freeman said: “Those countries and markets that are still recruiting of course include the Middle East, along with the Far East, Korea, India, Africa. Particular airlines which are hiring this month include Korean Air, Air India, Ethiopian Airlines, Oman Air and Shenzhen.
Freeman said: “Business travel has reduced markedly, more companies are looking to cut costs and this directly affects the airlines. This includes business aviation as well as private hire.
“There was a glut of start-up operations around 12 to 18 months ago and these have reduced to very few if none. Having said this, there are still companies starting in the airline industry.
“However time will only tell if they can make a success in a very demanding market place. Start-ups in the last 12 months include Air Sylhet, Amsterdam, Arik, Athens Airways, Bahrainair, Bremen and Fly Dubai. Clearly from this you can see that new as well as recruiting companies are predominantly from the Middle East and Africa. India is bit of a mixed bag at the moment.
“The private carriers have cut capacity, deferred aircraft delivery while the state-owned airline Air-India is continuing with its expansion and is hiring pilots,” an airline industry analyst said.
According to the Mint: “The private airlines are renegotiating with pilots for cutting their salaries by 25 per cent. They have, in fact, already started slashing allowances and other benefits,” said a senior pilot. Executives from three different airlines confirmed the development.
15/03/09 EmiratesBusiness24-7, UAE