After finalizing a historical order for several latest jets on Valentine’s Day earlier this 12 months, Air India also signed the acquisition agreement with Boeing earlier last month for the 220 aircraft ordered – officially kickstarting the method that may see the flag carrier accepting the brand new fleet additions every time they’re ready.
And in rapid preparation for these latest arrivals, the Tata-owned carrier recently announced and opened latest recruitment drives across the country. More specifically, Air India is starting to expand its narrowbody workforce by hiring pilots for the incoming Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Air India is now hiring
The recruitment roadshow announcements got here across the airline’s social media platforms, inviting aspiring aviators to use for several open opportunities that may allow them the prospect to operate a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft under the low-cost subsidiary, AIX Connect, formed by the merger of Air India Express and AirAsia India. It was also never specified what number of pilots the airline is currently in search of or opening up positions for.
Nonetheless, Air India opened roadshows in Bengaluru on July twelfth, then opened a roadshow in Mumbai the next day, and one other opened in Gurugram the day after. The interviews conducted in any respect three locations were between 11:00 and 18:00, and although the airline never specified how many candidates turned up in total across the three days, one can assume the response was undoubtedly overwhelming.
An incoming MAX within the third quarter
A rush to rent aggressively across the country normally means one thing, the brand new fleet additions are probably scheduled to reach relatively soon. After placing the significantly large order, Air India initially expected somewhat immediate deliveries of roughly 50 Boeing 737 MAX earlier this 12 months, as those jets were originally produced for Chinese carriers and thought of ready-to-go.
But a non-standard manufacturing issue regarding the narrowbody arose in late April, forcing all aircraft manufactured after 2019 to undergo retrofitting processes. This manufacturing setback greatly impacted the delivery timeline to the Star Alliance member as Boeing highlighted that loads of time was required for replacements, and no revised timeline was hinted on the time.
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Fortunately, it seems the retrofitting process has been going well, as Air India is now expecting to receive its first Boeing 737 MAX either later this month or by mid-August, with a second one more likely to be expected and delivered before this year-end.
Bottom line
Exciting times are nearing for Air India as its fleet expansion plans will probably begin in lower than a month, give or take. And after the arrival of its first Boeing 737 MAX, the flag carrier is anticipated to receive its first Airbus A350 either in October or November, followed by a bulk of Airbus A320neos and A321neos. And overall, latest aircraft undoubtedly means newer experiences for Air India’s passengers.