Air Asia India has kick-started the process of setting up a team to operate its flights out of Chennai. The airline floated by Air Asia and Tata Sons expects to hire more than 50 flight attendants at a walk-in interview in the city next week.
Airports Authority of India sources said the airline's officials had already approached them for space at the terminal and the airside to set up the required infrastructure. The airline plans to connect smaller cities from Chennai and may offer convenient changeover options to its international services being operated to Kuala Lumpur.
"The walk-in interview for flight attendants will be held on April 13. Hiring of pilots is expected to start in May or June," said a spokesperson for the airline. Around 5,000 people are expected to participate in the interview, she added.
More than 10 senior officials are expected to conduct the interviews. The airline considers its employees, including flight attendants, "ambassadors to the brand" and believes "an exceptional workforce is the key in elevating the brand, setting the airline apart from the rest," said a statement from the airline.
Air Asia India was formed after the Foreign Investment Promotion Board gave its nod to form a new airline. The joint venture will need to get a final permission from ministry of the civil aviation and a licence from the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation.
"Infrastructure facilities at the airport will be set up and aircraft imported only after we get these permissions," said a source. The airline plans to use A320 aircraft.
For male and female flight attendants, the candidates are to be between 20 and 35 years old, possess the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and fluent in spoken and written English, in addition to the local language. Experienced flight attendants or fresh graduates of any discipline will also be preferred.
There is new hope for aspiring cabin crew, pilots and aeronautical engineers in the South. Several experienced flight attendants, pilots and other staff employed with grounded Kingfisher Airlines are expected to land jobs with the new airline as they are familiar with airline operations and passenger operations from Chennai.
Air Asia India has not yet revealed the total count of the employees it will require to man its operations in the country. AirAsia has a 49% stake in the joint venture, Tata Sons 30% and Telestra the remaining 21%.
