NAC launches huge recruitment drive
KATHMANDU, JUN 29 - Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has announced vacancy for 25 pilots as it is expanding its domestic and international flying routes.
The national flag carrier is also in the process of announcing vacancy for 35-40 flight attendants by next three weeks. The latest recruitment drive reflects NAC’s preparations to revamp its operation with the arrival of new planes — six for domestic and two for international fleets.
“As we will be operating 13 planes (four on international and nine on domestic routes) within the next 10 months, we need more pilots and crew members,” said NAC Managing Director Madan Kharel. “As per the plan, we will prepare the new pilots and flight attendants by September-end.”
On April 27, the corporation received the 56-seater Modern Ark 60 (MA60) turboprop gifted by China. It will receive five more Chinese-made aircraft — four Y12e and one MA60 — by October.
For its international fleet, NAC will receive first of the two ordered Airbus A320-200 jet by February, 2015. The second one will arrive by April. NAC currently flies two ageing Boeings 757s on the international sector.
With the arrival of the new aircraft, NAC will have to manage five types of aircraft—Twin Otter, MA60, Y12e, Boeing and Airbus. And as per the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal’s mandatory regulation enforced last year, pilots are barred from operating multiple types of aircraft. “Yes, we will have five types of aircraft and to abide the regulation, we require a huge number of pilots ,” Kharel said.
Normally, an airline requires seven sets of pilots for a larger size aircraft, four for medium-range and three for small-range planes. At present, NAC has 42 pilots .
However, hiring experienced pilots will be a tough job for the national flag bearer. For an instance, NAC had last year announced vacancy for 20 pilots , but was forced to extend the application deadline various times. In the first and second calls, no one applied, and only two filed applications in the third call, followed by four applications in the fourth call.
Kharel, however, said the scenario is different now. “The benefits and pay structure of pilots have been revised, which now have become more reasonable, although they are slightly lower compared to what private airlines offer,” he said.
Nepal Airli-ne Corporation said it will hire more male flight attendants as there were only few of them left. The corporation said it has abundant female attendants (air hostesses).
(Source: The Kathmandu Post)
