Abu
Dhabi-based Etihad is hiring around 22 pilots from Jet Airways for its
Boeing-777 wide-body aircraft fleet.
Abu
Dhabi-based Etihad is hiring around 22 pilots from Jet Airways for its
Boeing-777 wide-body aircraft fleet. These pilots, who were previously flying
Airbus A330s for Jet, will be based in Abu Dhabi for a minimum contract of one
year (excluding four months of training). These pilots will get tax-free income,
bonuses and a hike of about 30-40% on the current base salary of about R6-7
lakh a month.
Sources
told FE an internal job notice has been sent to the pilots in Jet Airways on
April 10. In all, 11 positions have been offered to captains (minimum 6,000
hours) and a similar number for co-pilots (minimum 1,000 hours) as well. The
recruitment process is expected to be completed in May.
“Jet
has excess pilots for its A330 fleet, so Etihad has offered them these
positions. Some of the captains who have applied have 15,000-20,000 hours to
their credit. Most likely, these pilots will be absorbed back in Jet once their
contract with Etihad is over,” said a source.
Jet
Airways, however, did not respond to an emailed questionnaire.
The
move comes three months after Etihad had offered similar jobs to Air India
pilots, with a promise of a fat pay hike. Incidentally, Etihad, which is in the
mid of a massive expansion spree, had recently purchased five Boeing 777 LR
(Long range) aircraft from Air India and may also buy three more of the same
aircraft from the state-run carrier.
“Etihad
is rapidly expanding operations and since it takes a long time on new aircraft
deliveries, they are growing through acquisitions. In last few months, Etihad
had held roadshows for pilots for narrow body and wide body aircraft in Delhi
and Mumbai,” said an official.
Jet,
in which Etihad picked up a 24% stake for over R2,000 crore in April last year,
currently has 101 aircraft — 12 aircraft from the Airbus 330 family, 59 Boeing
737s, 10 Boeing 777s and 18 ATRs.
Jet
is believed to have 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and around 50 Boeing 737 Max
aircraft on order. On other hand, Etihad currently has a fleet of 94 planes,
with a further 225 on order.
In
the quarter ended December 31, 2013, Jet posted a net loss of R268 crore. The
Jet Airways scrip on the BSE fell 2.75% to R273.80 on Monday
Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/etihad-to-hire-22-jet-airways-pilots-for-a-year-offers-over-30-pay-hike/1245122