Why are pilots opposing the anti-poaching code?
Indian government has called for a global code of conduct on hiring each other’s airline staff to check poaching of airline crew by foreign airlines while pilot association it risks creating conditions of bonded labour.
- Aug 12, 2025,
- Updated Aug 12, 2025 4:36 PM IST
Poor working conditions, lack of contractual security, limited upward mobility, and the absence of standardised pay structures are concerns flagged by the pilots’ association as they called upon the Indian government to withdraw paper where they called for model code of conduct on hiring of airline staff.
A working paper submitted by DCGA before the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) says that migration of trained aviation personnel such as pilots, engineers, technicians, and cabin crew without standardised notice periods disrupted States’ ability to maintain safe and orderly flight operations.
It further called for model code of conduct ensuring that such migration involves balancing staff mobility with States’ need for operational continuity and safety. Airlines have a minimum notice period of six months for first officers and one year for pilots-in-command.
According to the Airline Pilots’ Association (ALPA), the move to restrict Indian professionals from seeking lawful employment overseas infringed upon their fundamental rights. The pilot’s body says that implementing a notice-period risks turning aviation personnel into bonded labourers in a duopoly.
“Indian pilots may be locked into employment with a single airline under unilateral and ever-changing service conditions. This would deny them the basic freedom to seek better opportunities, improved working conditions, or fair compensation elsewhere,” it said.
The six-month and 12-month notice periods mandated in India are the longest among major international airlines. Carriers like Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways typically require only a three-month notice period, they said, adding when airline shut down, employees were forced to serve notice periods and were then left jobless for extended periods.
The DGCA’s paper titled ‘Practices impacting orderly conduct of international civil aviation’ said that Indian airlines invest heavily in hiring and training pilots, engineers, technicians, AMEs, and cabin crew, especially in advancing new pilots to command roles. But foreign carriers often hire away this trained talent, forcing Indian airlines into a costly cycle of constant replacement recruitment, draining resources from growth, and effectively subsidising foreign competitors.
Poor working conditions, lack of contractual security, limited upward mobility, and the absence of standardised pay structures are concerns flagged by the pilots’ association as they called upon the Indian government to withdraw paper where they called for model code of conduct on hiring of airline staff.
A working paper submitted by DCGA before the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) says that migration of trained aviation personnel such as pilots, engineers, technicians, and cabin crew without standardised notice periods disrupted States’ ability to maintain safe and orderly flight operations.
It further called for model code of conduct ensuring that such migration involves balancing staff mobility with States’ need for operational continuity and safety. Airlines have a minimum notice period of six months for first officers and one year for pilots-in-command.
According to the Airline Pilots’ Association (ALPA), the move to restrict Indian professionals from seeking lawful employment overseas infringed upon their fundamental rights. The pilot’s body says that implementing a notice-period risks turning aviation personnel into bonded labourers in a duopoly.
“Indian pilots may be locked into employment with a single airline under unilateral and ever-changing service conditions. This would deny them the basic freedom to seek better opportunities, improved working conditions, or fair compensation elsewhere,” it said.
The six-month and 12-month notice periods mandated in India are the longest among major international airlines. Carriers like Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways typically require only a three-month notice period, they said, adding when airline shut down, employees were forced to serve notice periods and were then left jobless for extended periods.
The DGCA’s paper titled ‘Practices impacting orderly conduct of international civil aviation’ said that Indian airlines invest heavily in hiring and training pilots, engineers, technicians, AMEs, and cabin crew, especially in advancing new pilots to command roles. But foreign carriers often hire away this trained talent, forcing Indian airlines into a costly cycle of constant replacement recruitment, draining resources from growth, and effectively subsidising foreign competitors.