Careers take off as airlines go on hiring spree

Hyderabad, June 25:

With no let-up in hiring by airlines , demand for ground staff, cabin crew and airhostesses is on the up. And, students trained at leading institutes are finding that they are the preferred ones in the jobs market.

Emirates, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and Korean Airways have been hiring Indians as cabin crew, as fluency in a regional language is a plus while flying into the country. Industry players say they expect hiring to firm up further in the coming months.

“India has on order 400 aircraft for the next decade or so, involving an investment of $30 billion. This will throw up opportunities for 19,000 cabin crew, 24,000 technicians and 36,000 ground staff,” said Mr Ravi Dighe, Head of Aptech Aviation.

Aptech Aviation, which opened its 35th centre in Hyderabad last week, will open eight more this year. The target is to touch 75 in the next five years. Last year, 70 per cent of its nearly 5,000 students who registered for placement, were absorbed by the industry.

“The entry-level salaries ranged from Rs 10,000 to 15,000 for ground staff and Rs 25,000 to Rs 60,000 a month for in-flight crew ,” he said.

Frankfinn Institute, which has over 75 centres in India each training 200 students, also registered similar numbers. Last year, it enabled placements of around 5,000 students in the sector“Our students joined as cabin crew for an entry-level salary of between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 in domestic airlines, and Rs 45,000 to as high as Rs 1.20 lakh in an international airline,” Mr K.S. Kohli, Chairman, Frankfinn Group, said.

The institute is expanding its network, including in West Asia and Africa. It is also thinking of starting a regional airline, ‘Air Frankfinn’.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3569855.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy