Patel to call meeting on pilot poaching

With flight schedules of public sector carriers like Alliance Air going haywire due to scarcity of pilots, the government has decided to convene a meeting of all airlines shortly to decide on ways to prevent experienced pilots from being poached by new entrants in the sector.

"We will call a meeting of all the airlines to discuss the issue of poaching of pilots," minister of civil aviation Praful Patel said today.

The statement is in the backdrop of a large number of experienced pilots being weaned away from the public sector by private airline companies, adversely hitting the operations, especially of Alliance Air.

Patel said the issue "is important and needs to be addressed," especially when overnight poaching of pilots from Indian Airlines, Air India and Alliance Air hampers flight schedules.