New Delhi, June 6 (IANS) National carrier Air India Wednesday said it will go ahead and hire new pilots to tackle a prolonged strike by a section of pilots that has crippled its international operations.
“Air India has decided to recruit pilots from domestic and international markets. We expect to advertise for the posts soon,” Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh told reporters here.
Currently the airline has 90 trainee pilots out of which 60 are already training and will be available for regular flying in four to five months.
The development comes as a section of 400 pilots, who have been on a strike for the last 30 days, have refused to resume work despite appeals by the management and the minister.
According to airline experts, it will take nearly five to six months for Air India to fully resume operations on its 27 international destinations.
