As the COVID-19 pandemic no longer poses any significant threats to global aviation, the industry has embarked on an upward recovery trajectory. More specifically, some countries like India are poised to recover sooner and more effectively, signs of which are already evident. Just last week, the country exceeded pre-pandemic numbers for domestic flights, signaling strong demand for air travel going forward.

Naturally, all Indian airlines will be willing to fight hard to get the biggest possible slice of the ever-increasing pie. In order to be able to meet the increased demand, they will need more manpower, manpower that most airlines laid off during the pandemic in a bid to keep costs low. As a result, several carriers are scrambling to hire talent before the competition. Add to the equation Akasa Air and Jet Airways 2.0, two startup airlines that are pretty much starting from scratch, and one can only imagine the career opportunities in Indian aviation at the moment.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the plethora of job openings from all operators in the Indian aviation scene:

Akasa Air

Let’s begin with the truly new Indian airline Akasa Air. The carrier was expecting to launch operations a few months ago, but aircraft delivery delays have prevented it from taking off just yet. But an end to the delays seems near as Akasa Air recently shared pictures of its first Boeing 737 MAX plane after it received a fresh coat of paint at Boeing’s facilities.

Preparations for the initially planned launch had been going on for quite a while, which meant most of the recruitment activities were already complete. However, there are still a few open positions available at India’s newest airline. Akasa Air is looking for a DGCA approved and qualified Safety and Emergency Procedures (SEP) trainer for cabin and flight crew working on the Boeing 737 MAX, a DGCA approved Ground Instructor (GI), first aid instructor, and Crew Resource Management (CRM) trainer.

More information regarding the mentioned jobs is available on Akasa Air’s website.

Jet Airways 2.0

While Jet Airways cannot technically be called a brand-new airline, it does need to recruit like one. It recently got approval from India’s aviation watchdog to relaunch commercial flights. The carrier has been relatively active on its LinkedIn page, posting several open positions regularly. Jet Airways’ new CEO, Sanjiv Kapoor, also occasionally drops words of encouragement, asking talented individuals to take full advantage of the opportunities his airline is offering.

Opportunities at Jet are much more diverse and abundant. The carrier is currently looking to fill many positions like Deputy General Manager of Tech Procurement, Assistant Manager – Cargo Pricing, Cargo Operations Manager, Senior Finance Manager, Network Planning Executive, and Senior Schedule Planning and Systems Manager. Jet Airways is also hiring Managers for Retail – Corporate Sales, Call Center Management, Customer Relations, and Coordination. Since the airline needs talented employees quickly, most of these roles require 5-10 years of experience in the relevant fields.

Jet Airways also has some open positions for senior management positions like General Manager (India) for Retail and Corporate Sales and VP – Marketing. The former requires 10-15 years of experience, while the latter requires a minimum of 10 years.

Aspirants seeking to get into aircraft training and ground handling activities also have a place at the renewed Jet Airways. Positions are open for Cabin Crew Service Trainers, Assistant Manager for Service Development, and Flight Safety Manager.

Details regarding where and how to apply can be found on Jet Airways’ LinkedIn and Twitter pages.

Discover more aviation news here.

Air India

With Air India’s new owners, The Tata Group, looking to transform the Indian Maharaja and return it back to its former glory, the flag carrier is going through a lot of changes. Even Air India is being prepared to be in a position to take on the competition. The Tata Group is wasting no time, as is evident by the myriad of major decisions taken in the last few weeks, like finally appointing a new CEO and seeking regulatory approval to buy AirAsia India.

However, unlike the two startup airlines, Air India is going about the recruitment process with an entirely different approach. As Simple Flying reported a few days ago, the flag carrier has announced a voluntary retirement scheme for some of its older employees in addition to lowering the retirement ages in some departments. AI is doing this while simultaneously conducting recruitment drives in various Indian cities. This aims to reduce costs by reducing the employee headcount and bringing in fresh talent to drive future growth.

Open positions at the Indian flag carrier include cabin crew and senior trainee co-pilots for the Airbus A320. Minimal qualifications are required for cabin crew positions, while candidates applying for the latter need a valid A320 Endorsement on an Indian CPL.

Candidates can apply through the AI website.

IndiGo

The largest airline in India is always in need of new talent, but the requirement would be critical now if it wants to continue leading. IndiGo has big plans for the immediate and extended future, but the competition will be out for blood. Both new startups will be looking to draw customers away from IndiGo while a new Air India emerges in the background.

The airline has several open positions in various domains like cabin crew, engineering services, flight safety, sales, and human resources. Cabin crew positions are for its Airbus and ATR aircraft, and are available as full-time jobs or on contract basis. Most other domains are offering full-time positions requiring 3-8 years of experience for Assistant Manager positions and 8-15 years for Managers.

IndiGo is offering by far the highest number of open positions, and that too at various locations in India, giving candidates plenty of opportunities and choices. More details can be found on the airline’s website.

What are your views on where Indian aviation is heading in the current climate? What do you make of the overall situation? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments.