Air India is preparing for a major fleet expansion – which used to retire pilots at 58 – will now give
few of the selected pilots the advantage of work extension until the age of 65.
Since the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and several airline globally allow pilots to fly till they are 65, Air India, while taking cue from them is also loaning to do the same for pilot with an impeccable safety and
disciplinary record.
With several big decisions already in cards for the airline to grab big orders, an aviation veteran
recently received security clearance to make over as MD-CEO of the Tata Group. The Airbus A350 has been selected as the wide body option and a choice for single aisles is going to be made shortly.
To meet our requirement, it is proposed to retain our current trained pilots at Air India post- retirement on a contractual basis for 5 years extendable to 65 years," said S.D. Tripathi, AI's chief human resource officer (CHRO) in the document.
A panel made up of functional members from HR, operations, and flight safety will be established in accordance with AI's new policy to assess the eligibility of pilots retiring in the next two years. The panel will be in charge of assessing the pilots' prior disciplinary, flying safety, and vigilance records. Following the review, the committee will recommend the CHRO give the selected candidates a post- retirement contract.
A language requiring an annual review of the contract based on performance, behaviour, and a
history of safe flights will be included in the post-retirement contract in accordance with airline
policy. A thorough review of their performance will be taken into account for a further extension till
the age of 65 once they have completed five years of satisfactory service. This will be examined by
the appointed committee, as stated in the document.
Meta: Air India is planning to expand its fleet by introducing the age of retirement as 65 instead of
58 for few selected pilots of the carrier. The Tata Group owned airline is planning to make big orders
and while a language requiring an annual review of the contract based on performance, behaviour,
and a history of safe flights will be included in the post-retirement contract in accordance with
airline policy.