Akasa Air to hike pilot salaries by up to 20%, increase annual leave entitlements

Akasa Air will hike salaries by up to 20 per cent for pilots, increase their monthly minimum protected flying hours to 50 as well as the number of days of annual leave entitlements as the four-year-old airline starts operating more aircraft and routes, according to sources.

​The revisions in salary structure and leave entitlements will be effective from January 1, 2027, they added.

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Currently, the airline has a fleet of 45 Boeing 737 MAX planes and more than 800 pilots.

The sources on Wednesday said that fixed salaries and hourly payouts for pilots will be increased and the salary hikes will be up to 20 per cent.

Besides, the minimum protected hours of flying in a month will be raised to 50 for the standard work pattern and more choices in work patterns will be provided to the pilots, the sources said.

Generally, minimum protected flying hours refers to pilots getting the guaranteed pay for the stipulated hours in a month.

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Akasa Air has also decided to increase the minimum annual leave entitlements to 42 days and the number could increase depending on the flexi-choices opted by the pilots concerned.

The sources said pilots will be offered the options of '25/9' and '6-2-6-3' work patterns.

The pattern of '25/9' refers to 25 working days and 9 days of guaranteed off in a month. The pattern of '6-2-6-3-6' implies 6 days of work and 2 days off, and again 6 days of work and 3 days off, the sources said.

The revised structure is aimed at ensuring better work-life balance for the pilots, the sources said and added that they will also be eligible for loyalty rewards as well as the previously announced Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) over and above the revised compensation.

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The pilots were informed about the revisions by Captain Sanket Limaye, Director of Flight Operations, during an internal meeting on Wednesday.

There was no comment from Akasa Air.

The latest decisions at the airline also come at a time when there are continuing discussions in the aviation ecosystem about the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) amid concerns over fatigue among pilots.

Meanwhile, Akasa Air has plans to have bases for pilots at Cochin and Kolkata as it expands its fleet and adds more routes. At present, the carrier's main bases are Bengaluru and Mumbai.

Akasa Air commenced its commercial operations in August 2022.