SpiceJet to hike pilots’ salaries

SpiceJet will pay its captains Rs 7 lakh for 80 hours of flying per month. This is the hike that the Airline has announced in the salaries of its pilots, as well as some captains and first officers, with effect from 1 November 2022.

For 70 hours of flying, the captains will get Rs 6.13 lakh. Salaries of trainers and senior first officers have also been increased proportionately. That means, designated examiners (DEs), type ratings instructors (TRIs) and line training captains can also look forward to increments.

Some pilots, however, point out that their salaries are yet to be restored to pre-COVID levels. Therefore, they are still receiving only about half of what they were used to receiving, and cannot help wondering how the increments will be implemented.

Many pilots and crew from SpiceJet have recently quit to join other carriers, primarily due to pay cuts and irregular salary payments. The hike announcement could be a way of ensuring retention at a time when job opportunities have begun to increase in the aviation and hospitality space and many employees may be considering moving on.

After a series of air-safety incidents earlier this year, SpiceJet had been ordered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to cut down its services by 50 per cent a couple of months ago. Following the imposition of this cap, 40 of SpiceJet’s Boeing 737 pilots and 40 of its turboprop Q400 pilots were asked to go on leave without pay for three months.

SpiceJet was also put through audits, strict safety checks and close surveillance to ensure compliance and make sure that all possible safety measures were in place.

The 50 per cent cap on the number of flights SpiceJet could operate has been lifted recently, and will come into effect in November.