Air India announces pay hikes for pilots, raises salary by up to 15%

NEW DELHI: Air India on Friday hiked pilot salaries by 8% to 15%, with commanders getting the biggest hikes and increases tapering by rank. Going ahead, first officers or co-pilots will get command upgrades in AI Express, which has single-aisle aircraft, then move to AI, which has wide-body aircraft with higher pay, to build progression within the group. Air India has tried to make Air India Express more attractive through better pay and to address shortages on the B737 fleet.Air India pilots have for years been facing a 40-hour guaranteed pay — meaning they get minimum pay for these hours irrespective of actual flying, while flying more means more pay — while IndiGo has fixed pay for 70 hours. Under the revised framework, Air India will continue to provide guaranteed pay for 40 flying hours but has enhanced flying allowance rates.