Sunday, 15 July 2012

High attrition and demand from foreign airlines sustain jobs in Aviation


The paradox of the sector is that it serves one of the world’s fastest growing economies and posts double-digit traffic growth, yet estimates say the carriers, put together, have lost $2.5 billion in the 12 months ending March 2012.

The Indian aviation industry entered 2012 facing its most critical challenge since the industry reforms of 2004. The paradox of the sector is that it serves one of the world’s fastest growing economies and posts double-digit traffic growth, yet estimates say the carriers, put together, have lost $2.5 billion in the 12 months ending March 2012.

Not surprisingly, the employment opportunities too are affected. Until 2010, a consistent yearly intake of around 300-400 trainee cabin crew and ground staff per domestic carrier was visible. This number has come down by at least 50 to 60 per cent in the wake of slumping business. The pilots are particularly unlucky; with more than enough trained staff in the market, supply is always more than demand.

But all is not lost for the rest of the crew. Barring Kingfisher and Air India, recruitment of ground staff and cabin crew by the other airlines is going on, given the high attrition rates. Plus, foreign airlines perceive India as a fertile poaching space.

“Airlines like Indigo and Spicejet, which are expanding fast, put out ads everyday for trained cabin crew as well as freshers who meet the basic requirements of being +2 pass, presentable and having good communication skills,” says a consultant for a domestic airline. The crew training institutes are thus gung-ho. The Aptech Aviation and Hospitality Academy, Mumbai, says it inducted about 4,000 students last year, of which 3,500 have been placed as cabin crew and ground staff with various aviation companies. Frankfinn Airhostess Academy has entered the Limca Book of Records for best cabin placements with 115 people placed over 16 days. It created the record four times in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010.

Ravi Dighe, head, Aptech Aviation and Chief Student Development, says, “Yes, AI and Kingfisher are facing problems. But that does not mean the entire sector is going down the drain. Passenger traffic is growing at 15 to 16 per cent and cargo is moving in excess of 15 to 17 per cent annually. So there is no cut in requirement as far as services are concerned. In fact, India is considered the largest manpower provider to global airports with the number in excess of 2.5 lakh.”

‘Global’ is the key word. At least 8-10 per cent of Gulf crews are Indian. Every Lufthansa flight entering the sector has two Indian cabin staffers, and its Brussels airport office employs staff speaking Indian languages. So is the case with British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways. Qatar, in fact, has been conducting walk-in interviews in metros and small towns in India from where it plans to start flights.

“Cabin crew recruitment is open throughout the year for reasons such as business expansion as well as natural attrition which can reach up to 20 per cent per year,” says Amal Mohamed AlGharibi, communication specialist at Gulf Air. “Indian cabin staff are extremely competent. They are multi-lingual, service- and customer-oriented, highly educated and punctual. Thus Indians are among the top five nationalities on our team.” While the majority of the recruits sign on as cabin crew, others join the call centres, ground services, sales and marketing and catering divisions.

Emirates, which is adding 35 new aircraft this year, is also recruiting Indians in large numbers. “We recruit talent from India not just for India operations but also for our global network of 125 destinations across 74 countries, including our headquarters in Dubai. Indian candidates have the inherent advantage of speaking English. We recruited 4,000 cabin crew and ground staff last year,” says an Emirates spokesperson, adding the first good news for pilots: “We plan to hire over 300 pilots this financial year.”

The demand for staff is coming from helicopter operators too. Says Dighe: “The helicopter wing has huge potential and will grow at a very fast pace in the next three years. There is requirement at offshore units such as ONGC, industrial units for emergencies, and for tourism, particularly at religious places. Forty helicopters fly each day from Katra to Vaishno Devi between 8 am and 5 pm. This is bound to increase. There will also be huge demand for professionals who can manage the customer interface. Also, since the ground staff is susceptible to attrition, demand never fades.”
http://newindianexpress.com/business/article567146.ece?service=print

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