India’s government is making it harder for pilots to jump ship to other airlines by forcing them to work at least six months’ notice.
The move is aimed at deterring further “poaching” of cockpit crew in a market where airline fleet growth has been phenomenal. A surge in demand and the launch of carriers that have hired staff from established operators has led to widespread pilot shortages.
The civil aviation ministry says failure to give at least six months’ notice may result in permanent withdrawal of a pilot’s licence.
“Pilots are resigning without providing any notice. In some cases, groups of pilots resign together without notice and airlines are forced to cancel flights,” says the ministry. “[This] causes inconvenience and harassment to the passengers. Sometimes such an abrupt action is a concerted move, which is tantamount to holding the airline to ransom and leaving the public stranded.”
Source: Airline Business
