Air India announced a new salary structure for pilots and cabin crew as per officials

Air India on Monday unveiled a new payment structure for pilots and cabin crew, according to officials, that will increase the pay for numerous types of employees.

At least 2,700 pilots across the Air India, Air Asia India, and Air India Express brands as well as 5,600 Air India cabin employees are likely to be impacted by the airline's decision, which its new owner Tata Group has claimed is part of a restructuring plan.

"In keeping with our vision Vihaan.AI to establish ourselves as a premier airline, Air India acknowledges the contribution and dedication of its staff. We are happy to inform that the pay for the flying crew will change as of April 1, 2023. 

We have revised the compensation for flying employees to make it more straightforward, competitive in the market, and productivity-focused, the airline announced in an email to personnel that was delivered soon after an online town hall meeting.

A few of the main upgrades include changes to the hourly flying rates and a minimum guarantee of flying time of 40 hours, up from 20 hours.

The airline also announced the addition of junior first officers, an entry-level position, and senior commanders as two more tiers or classifications within the pilot category.

According to the firm, pilots-in-command with four or more years of experience in command on corporate aircraft are promoted to senior commanders as executive pilots of the management cadre.

In terms of wage modification, senior captains may see a 10–20% reduction while lower commanders may see a 5–10% increase.

The firm chose to prolong the fixed-term contracts (FTC) for those pilots up to the age of 58 and declared that annual raises will begin in the following fiscal year based on the opinions of industry experts.

The airline announced that additional compensation for pilots completing command-upgrade and conversion training will also be implemented. The cabin crew also received similar improvements.

Trainee Cabin Crew, Cabin personnel, Cabin Senior, and Cabin Executive now make up the four segments of the cabin crew organisational structure, which applies to both regular and FTC cabin personnel.

According to airline executives, new hires benefited the most.  Additionally, airline employees noted that the management had cut the overtime allowance.