The Indian national carrier – Air India (AI) – has been suffering from pilot’s strike for already over a month. After the court ruling disclaiming the legitimacy of the strike, the carrier has already sacked over 100 disobedient pilots and several hundreds of others are likely to face the same. However, fired pilots, who were struggling for the priority in the carrier’s Boeing 787 Training program, are unlikely to suffer continuous unemployment, since many other airlines are in lack of skilful pilots, especially in the Asian-Pacific region.
‘Lately the India’s flag carrier has been undergoing uneasy times and the continuing struggle with some of its crew has burdened the company even more. The decision to sack the striking pilots and to warn others is a lawful carriers’ answer to more than a month-long protests. However, many of the fired pilots are experienced professionals, meaning that other airlines, especially the regional ones, are already probably lining up for them,’ commented the CEO of AviationCV.com Skaiste Knyzaite.
Meanwhile, in Europe multiple pilot strikes do not normally end in the same dramatic way. The Spanish carrier Iberia has been continuously struggling with the crew over the recently launched low cost Iberia Express. The pilots are opposing the company’s intention to transfer some of the crew to lower paid positions at the low cost subsidiary. However, considering the accelerating popularity of the low cost airline business model, pilots around the world should already start preparing themselves that many of them will probably work for LCCs sooner or later.
Besides, LCCs do not necessarily mean a downgrade on a pilot’s CV. Some of them pay their pilots $10-20 thousand per year more than major airlines. Moreover, with LCCs such as Norwegian, which has ordered almost 300 Boeing 787s, working for them certainly doesn’t imply operating old aircraft.
‘With the accelerating development of the global pilot market, flight crew members are provided with more and more opportunities to work at practically any location around the world. Today, when an Indian pilot may operate a European carrier’s aircraft flying to South America, experienced pilots certainly shouldn’t worry about finding a job. Moreover, specialised aviation resourcing agencies such as AviationCV.com make the job hunting process a breeze. For instance, upon request they may take care of accommodation during the entire job search and employment process, also provide continuous support with the required documentation,’ commented Skaiste Knyzaite.