Air India will soon start training its 3,500-strong cabin crew for all types of aircraft in its fleet, rather than keeping a pool of people for a particular type of airplane. The move, the first of its kind by an Indian carrier, marks a significant shift from decades-old practice and is aimed at improving on-time performance. There have been instances where flights get delayed due to non-availability of the type-rated crew.
A type-rated cabin crew means those trained to work in one or more types of aircraft, which could have different seating arrangements or safety procedures. Maintaining that the entire exercise of cross-training is expected to be complete by December 2016, sources said training the crew for various types of aircraft would provide multiple benefits for employees, including “greater flexibility” in rostering.
Besides, the cabin crew would have the option of flying on international as well as domestic routes.
With an ambitious long-term perspective and fleet expansion plan, Air India also anticipates adding more crew in the coming months, the current strength being around 3,500. The carrier has managed to reduce the aircraft to employee ratio by almost two-thirds, to 108 from 300 about two years ago.
“Our cockpit crew and cabin crew are indeed the finest in the industry. They have been handling various situations and our passengers with care and devotion,” CMD Ashwani Lohani told PTI.
Currently, Air India has three types of aircraft — A-320s, Boeing 777s, 747s and Boeing 787 Dreamliners. There are sixty-five narrow-bodied A-320s, twenty-one wide-bodied Dreamliners, fifteen 777s and five 747s.
The current fleet clocks about 960 flying hours per day and Air India expects the cross-training of cabin crew to push this number higher, sources said.
While A-320 and B-737 planes are required to have at least four cabin crew each, Dreamliners should have a minimum of nine while flying.
