NEW DELHI: Air India, faced with stiff competition, is dipping into experience as a part of its ambitious turnaround efforts — one such move the carrier is making senior members mentor junior colleagues through a proposed mentorship programme for cabin crew staff.
This, according to the firm, is one of the “out of the box” ideas expected to come into effect before the end of the year. The airline has over 3,800 cabin crew members and out of which more than 2,500 are women. Of the total cabin crew strength, around 2,200 members are on the permanent roll.
There are also a substantial number of cabin crew who have been with the carrier for a decade or more. With rich experience at various levels, such individuals will be able to provide effective mentoring for their juniors, an official said.The mentorship programme will also help staff in honing their soft skills, including those pertaining to behavioural aspects and etiquette. The official also noted that the airline is keen to try “out of the box” ideas that are also in tune with market trends.
The airline is managing its finances with a Rs 30,000 crore bailout package announced in 2012, spread over ten years. Funds are being released subject to the carrier achieving certain operational parameters. More than Rs 22,000 crore has been provided to Air India under the turnaround plan. This includes financial support towards repayment of principal, as well as interest on government-guaranteed loans taken for aircraft acquisition. The government has allocated Rs 1,713 crore to the airline as part of this bailout package for the current fiscal against the Rs 3,901.49 crore requested.