First batch of IAF pilots to join Air India shortly

Mumbai, May 24 (UNI) The first batch of pilots from Indian Air Force (IAF) will join the Air India fleet within the next three months, said Captain P P Singh, chief operating officer of Air India.

''The first batch of 13 pilots from IAF will be joining Air India in the next three months, after they clear the composite mandatory test, conducted by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),'' Mr Singh said while talking to reporters after an onboard news conference by the Air India chairman and managing director V Tulasidas to announce the induction of seventh AI-owned Boeing 737-800 aircraft in the AI Express.

The pilots will be put to one month's ground training, which will be followed by another six week-long training on simulators before finally being inducted into the fleet as AI employees, he added.

AI, with its present strength of 690 pilots, is facing a shortage of 118 pilots.

UNI