SpiceJet Hires Personnel In Full Swing

Tuesday, 12th May 2015 at 02:51am

Indian budget air carrier SpiceJet may be seeing better days now as it plans to hire personnel

in full swing to replace pilots and staff who have exited from the company during its cash-strapped days.

Until February this year, the airline was too cash-strapped to maintain a number of pilots, staff, and crew under its fold.

While It had to let go about a hundred pilots in the past, the situation seems to have reversed as it is now ready to rehire.

One of SpiceJet's officials said that at present, the airline is operating more than a dozen Bombardiers and 20 Boeing jets.

While lease agreements on 3 of the 20 Boeings are about to end, the airline is contemplating on growing its Boeing fleet to around 27 in anticipation of peak months.

The months of October, November, and December are typically peak seasons for air travel thus, SpiceJet plans to add more Boeings to accommodate the unusually large number of passengers during this period.

Alongside this plan, it will have to hire more personnel, including pilots and crew.

At present, the airline is maintaining 400 pilots but it will need a hundred more. Hiring process will commence Monday next week.

According to Kiran Koteshwar, head of human resources group, the company will also require an additional 200 personnel, including flight engineers.

The airline was in the red up until February this year. Kalanithi Maran, Sun TV chairman who had a majority stake in the company failed to infuse additional funds.

The number of airline personnel had also dwindled to 4,000 from a previous 5,500. Some aircraft on lease had to be recalled due to non-payment. SpiceJet had no recourse but to make do with fewer aircraft and lesser flights.

Later, Mr. Maran decided to sell and transfer his shareholdings to the company's founder, Ajay Singh who readily infused Rs 550 crore into the company when he took over the reins.

Mr. Singh said that previous SpiceJet staff who had quit when the airline was in the red are now seeking every opportunity to be rehired. He gave assurance that these former employees will be given priority.

Mr. Singh is expected to pump in an additional Rs 1,000 crore into the company by the middle of this month.

By: Pete Lee.