Aspirants to join aviation crew and those who have lost their jobs due to closure of some of the airlines in India, are getting opportunities in the new entrants in the Indian aviation sector. Thanks to the entry of new players such as the joint venture of Tata-AirAsia in the domestic aviation sector and foreign airlines forging new ties in India (Jet-Etihad), many aspiring candidates are now looking to give their careers a 'flying' start.    

Those crew members such as flight attendants who had lost jobs due to closure of airlines have joined call centre positions in Bangalore and other cities. But, soon they joined their favourite jobs in new launches such as South-East Asian airline. Institutes offering courses in aviation and hospitality have seen renewed vigour in placements and many have also introduced new courses.    

Faced with multiple headwinds in 2010-11, several airlines had cut jobs and stopped flights on many routes. The aviation sector saw a dip of around 15 per cent in hiring during that period. But this year, the hiring sentiment is better, said an industry expert. The institute has introduced two new courses this year – MBA in aviation, hospitality, travel and tourism and a three-year degree course in the same subjects.    

Recently, it conducted a recruitment drive in Bangalore for Tata-AirAsia, where 150 of its students were short-listed. The final letter of appointment is expected by July this year. The entry-level monthly salary packages for cabin crew in the domestic sector range from Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 while for foreign airlines, it is between Rs 45,000 and Rs 1.3 lakh. For the ground staff, salary ranges between Rs 8,000 and Rs 15,000 for freshers. The highest salary package at Frankfinn Institute this year was Rs 1.2 lakh (monthly) offered by a foreign airline.