Air India Recruiting Leads To Chaos In Mumbai

It was a chaotic situation at a recent recruitment event organized by Air India in Mumbai. The airline is seeking candidates for a little over 2,000 jobs, and while it would have anticipated many to apply for the positions, it was seemingly unprepared to handle 25,000 jobseekers who showed up at the venue.

Thousands show up for 2,216 job openings

Air India hosted walk-in interviews for 2,216 jobs at a venue in Mumbai on July 16, but things got out of control when more than 25,000 aspirants turned up for the process. The event was held at Mumbai’s Kalina, which houses the company’s recruitment office.

Air India is looking for candidates for handyman positions that would involve employees handling various repair and maintenance tasks. The job requires, among other things, candidates with good physical strength and a willingness to take on rigorous work.

But perhaps, one of the biggest draws was the salary offered for the role, ranging from Rs 20,000 to 25,000 ($240 – $300) a month. When overtime allowances are considered, the figure could reach up to Rs 30,000 ($360).

According to reports, almost all the candidates were looking for their first job and most were fresh out of school, having completed their secondary education.

Stampede-like situation

While Air India usually expects a high turnout for its interview process, it seems it was not prepared to host the 25,000 people who showed up at the venue on Tuesday. After the jobseekers learned about the interview, they assembled at gate no. 5 at the Sahar cargo complex.

As the crown began to swell, the situation soon went out of control. The recruiters were overwhelmed by the response and turnout, and at one point, a stampede-like situation began to emerge.

To prevent the situation from escalating, the recruiters asked the applicants to leave their resumes and return home. They were promised that all applications would be looked at and that the selected candidates would be informed for the next round. The Times of India quotes George Abram, general secretary of the Aviation Industry Employees Guild, who criticized the process by saying,

“People came for thousands of vacancies. They brought demand drafts, but we told them not to pay anything yet and that they would be called in later.”

In high demand

It is not unusual for Air India to receive a high volume of applications for various positions in the organization. In 2022, the carrier received more than 75,000 applications within two months of posting for job opportunities for various cockpit and cabin roles.

Photo: Air India

Of those, a little over 1,700 applications were for pilots, and the rest were for cabin crew. The airline had just been taken over by the Tata Group and was embarking on a major fleet and network renewal program, and many wanted to be a part of that journey.

Related

More Than 73,000 Apply At Air India For Cockpit And Cabin Crew Positions

The airline needs a strong workforce for its expansion plans.

It seems that as the airline expands over the next few years, it probably won’t have a hard time filling up various positions within the company, given the volume of applications it receives.