NEW DELHI, May 12:
Air India on Friday said it aims to operationalise an engineering warehouse near Delhi airport next month which will help resolve aircraft defects at a faster pace, and also indicated that pilots from Go First are looking to join the airline.
Under the ownership of Tata Group, loss-making Air India is working on reviving the airline and among others, is aggressively hiring pilots and cabin crew as well as making various technological upgrades.
In a message to employees on Friday, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said the airline has finalised an agreement for setting up a 57,000 square feet engineering warehouse near the airport in the national capital.
“An agreement for a new 57,000 sq ft engineering warehouse near Delhi Airport was reached. It aims to be operational next month, giving us more proximate access to and better control over our aircraft spares so we can resolve defects faster,” he said.
Details about the investment for the facility could not be immediately ascertained.
Against the backdrop of Go First shuttering operations and filing for voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings, Wilson said Air India took various “rapid actions”, including helping a student group stranded in Port Blair.
Without taking the name of Go First, Wilson, in the message, mentioned about plan on how it might quickly increase domestic flights to “fill the gap left by another airline’s curtailment of flights to minimise capacity, frequency and airfare disruptions to the public”.
“There were also other rapid actions taken by our sales team to help a student group stranded in Port Blair while our recruitment and operations folk quickly catered to an influx of people seeking to join Air India.
“These rapid actions attest to the community spirit and agility of Air Indians, and our commitment to helping others out where and when needed,” the Air India chief said.
Many pilots of the crisis-hit Go First are seeking other job opportunities, including at Air India group.
Wilson also noted that Air India increased flights to Imphal to cater to those seeking to temporarily relocate given the local unrest. (PTI)
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