BREAKING! Air India to recruit foreign captains, says minister
Neelam Mathews June 1, 2012 Even as Air India's pilots strike crosses the 25 day mark with the government unable to solve the crisis, Ajit Singh, minister of civil aviation told Aerospace Diary Air India would look at foreign commanders to fly its wide bodies.Air India has 20 777s of which 5 are to be leased. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has allowed expatriate pilots to operate Indian aircraft only till 2013. Of the striking pilots, around 70 are commanders. How this mammoth task will be achieved at the cost of very dear foreign exchange, is left to be seen. Also Aerospace Diary learns the security clearance for foreign pilots is being reduced from 4 months to 2 weeks to accommodate the foreigners. “Will this not cause possible problems?” queries an official. There is also a concern regarding safety given that the time span to check the antecedents of the foreign pilots is short.The shadow of the recent Mangalore crash remains a shroud over us. The Ai...