Tata-owned Air India’s first batch of cabin crew and pilots ready to take off

Air India has announced that its maiden batch of 215 cabin crew and 48 pilots, since Tata Group took over the airline, have received their wings and are cleared to be deployed.

Selected from more than 13,000 candidates from across the country, the cabin crew trainees cleared a 15-week programme, which includes extensive classroom and in-flight training, at the airline’s facility in the city and other familiarisation flights.

The new pilots, comprising 40 men and 8 women, completed their training at Air India’s Hyderabad facility, and will operate on the airline’s Airbus A320 fleet.

Besides the two graduating batches, more than 59 pilots are in various stages of training to support the airline’s expansion plan.

Campbell Wilson, Air India CEO and MD, said, “We are delighted to welcome these new Air Indians to the team, handpicked from the country’s growing pool of talent. We are hiring across all business areas, and from all parts of the country, to support our transformation and growth plans. Attracting enthusiastic and capable people is an important part of our Vihaan.AI transformation programme.”

The company has raised the frequency of flights on the domestic sector and has also announced direct flights between key Indian cities and global destinations like Doha, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Birmingham. Further, Air India is set to commence direct flights from New Delhi to European cities like Milan, Vienna and Copenhagen, and from Mumbai to New York, Paris and Frankfurt.