NAC to hike the salaries of pilots and cabin crews
January 19, 2016- Kathmandu
The board of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has accepted the plan of airline’s management to hike the salaries and allowances of crew members including pilots to nearly double to avoid the painstaking situation of losing them.
The proposal has been passed unto Tourism Ministry for the required approval after which the finance ministry will confirm for its implementation.
According to Tourism Ministry officials, if the proposal is accepted, a senior pilot could receive up to Rs 450,000 in monthly income and allowances. At existent, senior pilots’ salary ranges from Rs250,000 to Rs300,000 per month.
“The management has also planned a substantial rise in salaries and stipends for junior pilots and cabin crews,” said the Tourism Ministry representatives. “The change is intended at setting the pay at equivalence with proposals made by private airlines.”
Worried over a conceivable upsurge of resignations, NAC has requested the government to assess the pay arrangement to hold experienced flying squads.
The new airlines entering the market along with the expansion of fleet by the older airlines have brought threat of the pilots being robbed off with the help of good par and facilities. In such case, NAC has been adamant to take the move which is right as the airline can face shortage of experienced pilots for its new aircraft.
NAC has earlier given advertisement to hire 23 pilots to fly domestically, comprising four Chinese-made aircraft on mandate, but only a few candidates had acquiesced applications.
NAC has also publicized it will purchase two wide-body airplanes, for which it will need 20 sets of pilots each.
Airline officials say the industry is in a shortfall of more than 100 captains at present—60 percent of the request for jet aircraft pilots. Pilot deficiency has started to cause a chief annoyance for airlines. Some are even endeavoring to decoy foreign pilots by proposing large salaries.
Conferring to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, there are presently 232 pilots carrying airline transport pilot licences (ATPL) for fixed-wing aircraft and 21 pilots for helicopters. An ATPL allows the holder to act as the pilot in command or captain. Similarly, the figure of commercial pilot licence (CPL) owners is 281 for fixed-wings and 50 for helicopters. CPL is a requirement that authorizes the holder to perform as the pilot in command of a solo pilot plane, or as co-pilot of a multi-pilot airplane.
