Air India has given a two-fold increase in the salaries of its executive (officer grade) cabin crew to Rs 2.25-lakh, with retrospective effect from June 1, 1997. The move is likely to put an additional burden of Rs 170-crore annually at a time when airlines are making losses due to the economic slowdown.
"The NACIL (the holding company of Air India) management has signed a wage accord with its Cabin Crew Officers Association for the period of 1997-2007, assuring them of full benefits with back wages for the past 15-years," a source said today.
The average package of these officers after this accord would reach about Rs 2.25-lakh per month from around Rs 1 lakh which they draw presently, the source said, adding that around 900 officers will benefit. The agreement comes at a time when the airline's CMD Arvind Jadhav has stressed the need for belt-tightening.