Indian Aviation Industry

Indian Aviation Industry A Brief Overview

The aviation industry in India is one of those sectors that saw a constant pace of
growth among the other industries in the world over the past many years. The
open sky policy of the government has helped a lot of overseas players entering
the aviation market in India. From then, it has only been growing in terms of
players and the number of aircrafts. At present, private airlines account for
around 75% portion of the domestic aviation market.
The 9th largest aviation market in the world is India. As per
the Ministry of Civil Aviation, approximately 29.8 million passengers traveled
to/from India in 2008, showing a surge of 30% from 2007. The prediction stated
that international passengers will touch 50 million by 2015. More opportunities in
the aviation industry in India are likely to make way for about 69 foreign airlines
from 49 countries
Indian aviation industry today is poised
to be among the top five aviation nations in the world in the next 10 years.
Currently, India is the 9th largest civil aviation market. Recent estimates suggest
that domestic air traffic will touch 160-180 million passengers a year, in the next
10 years and the international traffic will exceed 80 million passengers a year".
The Indian Aviation Industry is exploring opportunities to improve connectivity
and is also looking at enhancing the number of Indian carriers to various
countries."One of the key achievements of India in the last decade has been to
set-up an independent regulator for economic regulation of airports".




Indian Aviation Industry - Market Size
In the last decade, domestic air traffic has quadrupled from 13 million to 52
million and international traffic more than tripled to 38 million. A similar trend is
observed in the cargo sector. The rapidly expanding aviation sector handles 2.5
billion passengers across the world in a year; moves 45 million tonnes of cargo
through 920 airlines, using 4,200 airports and deploys 27,000 aircraft. Today, 87
foreign airlines fly to and from India and five Indian carriers fly to and from 40
countries.
Passengers carried by domestic airlines during Jan-Nov 2011 were 55.03
million as against 46.81 million during the corresponding period of previous year
thereby registering a growth of 17.6 per cent, according to data released by
Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The air transport (including air freight) in India has attracted
foreign direct investment (FDI) worth US$ 423.31 million from April 2000 to
September 2011, according to the data provided by Department of Industrial
Policy and Promotion (DIPP).
Private carriers are anticipated to post a combined profit
of US$ 350US$ 400 million for the financial year ending March 31, 2012, as per a
report titled '2011-12 Aviation Industry Outlook' by Centre for Asia Pacific
Aviation (CAPA) India. CAPA India expects domestic traffic growth of 17-18 per
cent, possibly as high as 20 per cent. International passenger numbers, which
grew by about 10 per cent last year, are expected to increase towards the upper
end of a 10-12 per cent range over the next 12 months.










Contribution of Aviation Industry in Indias GDP
The growth in the Indian economy has increased the Gross Domestic Product
above 8% and this high growth rate will be sustained for a good number of
years
Air traffic has grown enormously and expected to have a growth which
would be above 25% in the travel segment
In the present scenario around 12 domestic airlines and above 60
international airlines are operating in India
With the growth in the economy and stability of the country India has
become one of the preferred locations for the trade and commerce activities
The growth of airlines traffic in Aviation Industry in India is almost four times
above international average
Aviation Industry in India have placed the biggest order for aircrafts globally
Aviation Industry in India holds around 69% of the total share of the airlines
traffic in the region of South Asia

Future challenges of Aviation industry in India

The challenges of the Indian aviation industry are cited below.

Passenger traffic is estimated to grow at a CAGR of over 15% in the coming
few years.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation would have to handle around 280 million
passengers by 2020.

US$ 110 billion investment is envisaged till 2020 with US$ 80 billion solely
for new aircraft and US$ 30 billion for developing the airport infrastructure.






Recruitment and Selection process in Aviation Industry

job fairs, usually held at a hotel or convention center close to an airport that the
company serves. Airlines use different methods to recruit potential candidates,
and the methods range from the modern to the relatively arcane. Because most
airlines have a presence on the World Wide Web, applicants can usually review
requirements and submit a personal resume on the airline's website; depending
on the airline's technical abilities, a short online questionnaire may be required
before the application will be accepted. Some airlines choose to perform a
telephone interview before proceeding, and this interview may be conducted
either with a live screener or an automated, interactive attendant. According to
industry specialist CabinCrewJobs.com, though, the most popular recruiting is
through airline








Major Job categories in aviation industry

Cargo Manager and
Handler
Air Traffic
Controller
Air hostess
Flight Operator
Ground Operator
HR Specialist
JAR Audit
Inspectors
Maintenance
Personnel
Management
personnel
Psychologist
Captains
Training Captains
First Officers
Simulator
Instructors
Flight Engineers
Sheet metal
workers
Licensed
engineers
Fitters
Mechanics
Planners
Electricians
Painters
Maintenance
HR specialist

Flow chart showing recruitment and selection process in
Aviation industry



Air India
Recruitment and Selection process:-
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR FLIGHT ATTENDANT

i. Graduate in any discipline (minimum three years duration) from a recognized University
OR
Ex-Servicemen who have acquired the Qualification equivalent to Graduation in the Armed
Forces and have a service record of Graduation in the Armed Forces and have a service record
of minimum 15 years in the Armed Forces, not below the rank of Junior Commissioned Officer
or its Services, who had been discharged from service during the preceding two years
OR
5 years in the Armed Forces, not below the rank of Captain or its equivalent in the other wings
of Services, who had been discharged from service during the preceding two years.
ii. Height: Not below 165 Cms. for male and 153 Cms. for female candidates.(Relaxation in
height of 2.5 cms to SC/ST Candidates and candidates from North Eastern Region)

iii Preferable : i) NCC C Certificate
ii) One year experience in the related area.
iii) Diploma / Certificate in Computer Application

SELECTION PROCEDURE :
Applicants walking in, will have to undergo a Physical Endurance Test (PET) running of 100
meters or 1000 meters in 16 seconds or 4.5 minutes respectively, as opted by the candidate, on
the same day / following day(s). (In their own interest, candidates should come prepared for
the Physical Endurance Test with a tracksuit /pair of shorts and running shoes, etc. ) Those who
qualify in the PET will have to appear for Report Writing on the same day / following day(s).
Those who qualify in the Report Writing will have to appear for Personal Interview(s) on the
same day / following day(s).

4. LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: Should be fluent in Hindi, English & local language.

5. UPPER AGE LIMIT: (As on 1st May, 2010)
General 25 years, OBC 28 Years, SC/ST 30 Years. Relaxation in Age for Ex-Servicemen as per
Government guidelines, for all the above positions.


Jet Airways
Recruitment and Selection process:-
The recruitment and selection process consists of six clear stages as outlined
below:
Stage 1 Advertising and application
Advertising in major newspapers in each location being advertised, our website
and online.

Stage 2 Online testing and/or telephone interview and/or face-to-face
interview

Stage 3 Assessment Centre
The assessment centre will consist of:
physical testing
functional testing
shuttle run (required level of 9.6)
supervised aptitude testing
team work exercise
Interview.

Stage 4 Referee checks

Stage 5 Offer of employment

Stage 6 Medical
Training
Successful applicants will receive ten weeks of intensive training. Successful
applicants can expect a long, rewarding and successful career.


Analysis of Recruitment & Selection
The selection of pilots historically had been based almost exclusively on flying skills. The
aviation community is now placing increasingly greater emphasis on a pilots potential to work
well in a crew situation. Research on the process used by British Airways to select pilots,
suggests the task of the current generation of managers in the airline business, (Lowe, 1995)
as beginning with the selection and continued grooming of professional commercial pilots.
Interpersonal skills, and not just technical skills, are slowly becoming viewed as critical success
factors for pilot performance and safety. In another study by Goeters (1995), it was found that
nearly half of the problem cases in a study of 193 pilots were rooted in difficulties with
interpersonal skills. In other words, measures of interpersonal skills/aptitudes were good
predictors of whether or not a pilot became a problem case (Monfries and Moore, 1996).
Carriers and the aviation community as a whole are becoming increasingly aware of the need
for pilots to be competent in crew resource management skills and that successful completion
of a flight or mission requires not only flying skills but the ability to work well in a crew
situation.
The airline industry is not only short of skilled pilots, but of quality frontline people as
well. The problem is described and quantified in an article in Airline Business (1998), as follows:
Like other service companies, airlines are finding it increasingly difficult to attract, retain, and
afford quality frontline people. The supply of quality service sector people is decreasing as a
result of the end of the baby boom, a lessening service ethic among young people, and a
shrinking supply of pilots as countries downsize their air forces. At the same time demand is
increasing as the service sector grows to an increasing percentage of the world economy and
more companies realize the potential higher returns from improved service.
According to Southwests V-P of the People Department, Libby
Sartain, the key to recruitment and selection for frontline positions is to hire for attitude, not
skills (Ellis, 2001, p. 48), If we hire people who dont have the right attitude, disposition and
behavioral characteristics to fit into our culture, we will start to change that culture. The
recruiters primary role is to make sure its a good cultural fit Each year, Southwests 90,000
applicants go through an application process that includes a personality test as well as
interviews by a recruiter, the candidates potential supervisor and a peer employee.
Southwest hires for attitudes and trains people for specific skills because of the belief that skills
can be taught but attitudes cannot be changed. Part of the interview process involves testing
for a sense of humor, ability to work with others, and friendliness
Atlas Air Inc., a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft operator
with headquarters in Golden, Colorado, understands the importance of hiring for flexibility as a
key factor in its low-cost operating success. Atlas has achieved high growth rates without
accidents and at lower incremental personnel costs than many established international airlines
and cargo carriers largely because of the scheduling flexibility and high productivity of its flight
crew workers. One reason for this flexibility may be found in what appears to be the companys
practice of hiring young crewmembers motivated by the prospect of flying a Boeing 747
aircraftthe envy of many pilots.

Conclusion
One of the most critical and high expertise demanding industry, Airline or Aviation sector is
witnessing a surge of increasing interest and awareness. With global liberalization and
opening up of sector for private players, the industry has gained momentum. This has
contributed to a significant rise in the employee base in the airline industry and the industry
is in need of a growing number of employees.
Increasingly, more and more airlines are beginning to recognize
the real cost of poor selection of candidate. Clients are avoiding the mistakes of hiring the
unsuitable candidate (which results in high staff turnover with the consequential costs -
wasted time, money, disruption and absent resources) and are hence now consulting the
pool of psychologists and selection specialists to assist them with sourcing of a key executive
or to conduct large scale recruitment campaigns.
Over the years specialists have developed sophisticated systems and models for
the assessment of candidates for various positions in cabin crew, flight crew, ground crew etc,
in various recruitment phases.