After IndiGo, Jet Airways Pilots Flock To SpiceJet In Search Of Jobs; Walk-In Interviews Taking Place In Mumbai

Faced with their employer’s continuous spiral downwards, pilots of Jet Airways are now looking to be absorbed by SpiceJet as employees, reports Mint. This follows reports of IndiGo attempting to woo Jet’s pilots to join it.

Jet pilots, as well as engineers and senior staff, have been unpaid for longer than three months now, as the airline grapples with a debt crisis of existential proportions.

SpiceJet, which has currently seen all its 12 Boeing 737 Max aircraft being grounded due to safety concerns, has huge expansion plans for the coming years and is thus looking to hire new pilots to meet its increasing needs. The airline has been conducting walk-in interviews in Mumbai for the same.

"As many as 260 Jet pilots, including 150 captains, appeared for the interviews in Mumbai today," a SpiceJet source said.

The advantage of hiring Jet pilots for SpiceJet is that the majority of the former’s pilots are trained and type-rated for flying Boeing aircraft, which also make up a majority of SpiceJet’s fleet. On the other hand, IndiGo’s fleet is mainly composed of Airbus 320s.

Still, IndiGo has offered jobs to pilots from Jet, also promising to compensate them for salaries which are overdue.

Jet pilots have already been on a warpath against the company, with their association threatening to stop work from 1 April if their pending dues are not cleared.

Also Read: IndiGo Launches A ‘Jet Pilot’ Project: Promises Them Overdue Pay As Part Of Compensation