MUMBAI: SpiceJet, the Gurgaon-based low-fare carrier, will hire 84 cabin crew and 24 pilots by the end of current calendar year, as the airline plans to add four new aircraft to its fleet from March 2010. These new planes will be used to connect tier-1 and tier-2 cities in the country, CEO Sanjay Aggarwal told ET recently.
The move comes even as private air carriers, including SpiceJet, have agreed to stop operations on August 18 if the government does not roll back high taxes, which the airlines say, have affected their profitability. Interestingly, SpiceJet has been able to post a net profit of Rs 26 crore in the quarter ended June due to lower fuel charges and better route management.
“We are preparing a full-fledged plan for the current financial year, including fleet expansions and manpower additions,” Mr Aggarwal told ET. “Four new planes will be added to our fleet from March next year. We need around 21 cabin crew and six pilots for every single aircraft.”
These recruitments will be in addition to the 12 pilots that the company hired last month. According to current industry benchmarks, a pilot gets about Rs 6 lakh per month, including accommodation allowance. The pay goes up depending on the number of flying hours the pilot has put in. Industry observers say there are many local Indian hands as many pilots and cabin crew had recently lost jobs due to the grounding of flights and rationalising of routes of aviation companies.
Apart from earlier-placed orders, SpiceJet plans to order new passenger planes by December as it seeks to expand its fleet to meet potential growth in air travel. Currently, SpiceJet has a fleet of 19 Boeing 737 aircraft. Despite making profit in the past quarter, SpiceJet owes around Rs 16 crore to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for using its facilities.
It also owes Rs 2,225 crore to public sector oil marketing companies till May, Union petroleum minister Murli Deora told the Lok Sabha last week. The domestic airline industry is estimated to have lost Rs 10,000 crore in 2008-09, mainly on account of high fuel prices, excess capacity, poor load factor and irrational pricing. Globally, airline losses may total $9 billion this year, nearly double a previous forecast, according to the International Air Transport Association.
Source:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Jobs/SpiceJet-to-step-
The move comes even as private air carriers, including SpiceJet, have agreed to stop operations on August 18 if the government does not roll back high taxes, which the airlines say, have affected their profitability. Interestingly, SpiceJet has been able to post a net profit of Rs 26 crore in the quarter ended June due to lower fuel charges and better route management.
“We are preparing a full-fledged plan for the current financial year, including fleet expansions and manpower additions,” Mr Aggarwal told ET. “Four new planes will be added to our fleet from March next year. We need around 21 cabin crew and six pilots for every single aircraft.”
These recruitments will be in addition to the 12 pilots that the company hired last month. According to current industry benchmarks, a pilot gets about Rs 6 lakh per month, including accommodation allowance. The pay goes up depending on the number of flying hours the pilot has put in. Industry observers say there are many local Indian hands as many pilots and cabin crew had recently lost jobs due to the grounding of flights and rationalising of routes of aviation companies.
Apart from earlier-placed orders, SpiceJet plans to order new passenger planes by December as it seeks to expand its fleet to meet potential growth in air travel. Currently, SpiceJet has a fleet of 19 Boeing 737 aircraft. Despite making profit in the past quarter, SpiceJet owes around Rs 16 crore to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for using its facilities.
It also owes Rs 2,225 crore to public sector oil marketing companies till May, Union petroleum minister Murli Deora told the Lok Sabha last week. The domestic airline industry is estimated to have lost Rs 10,000 crore in 2008-09, mainly on account of high fuel prices, excess capacity, poor load factor and irrational pricing. Globally, airline losses may total $9 billion this year, nearly double a previous forecast, according to the International Air Transport Association.
Source:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Jobs/SpiceJet-to-step-
