Air India · Captain / Commandant de bord
A320 Type Rated Captain
Air India Express is recruiting already type-rated A320 captains to strengthen its flight crew. The role targets experienced pilots who already hold PIC endorsement on the A320.
- Employer
- Air India
- Position
- Captain / Commandant de bord
- Base
- Base flexible (recrutement via Gurugram, Inde)
- Aircraft
- A320 (famille)
- Contract
- non indiqué
- Pay (public sources)
- Captain: about INR 4.75 to 8.5 lakh per month; first officer: about INR 3.45 lakh per month (2023 scale, raised 8 to 15% in August 2026)
- Seen
- 8 October 2026
Key points
- Captain (PIC) role on A320 family aircraft
- Open to pilots already type rated with command experience
- Flexible place of posting
- Multi-stage selection process including a simulator test
What the employer asks for
- Valid A320 type rating with PIC endorsement
- Minimum 100 PIC hours on A320 family aircraft
- Maximum age 62 years
- Indian national or Overseas Citizen of India
- Valid ATPL with current IR and Pilot Proficiency Check
- Valid FRTOL and COP/RTR
- Valid Class I medical certificate
- ICAO English Language Proficiency level 4 or above endorsed on Indian ATPL
- Incident/accident-free record with breath analyser certificate and details of any DGCA enforcement action
- Mandatory eGCA-id with all licences and documents validated
The selection process
- Psychometric assessment
- Personal interview
- Simulator flight proficiency test (centre to be advised by the company)
- Pre-employment medical examination
Summary written by ForAllPilots from the employer's posting. Only the official posting counts: check every condition before you apply.
Pay and conditions, from public sources
Figures published by the airline, pilot unions or the press, each one dated (last update: August 2026). For information only.
- 2023 scale: after a raise of about 20%, Air India set monthly pay at INR 3.45 lakh for a first officer, 4.75 lakh for a captain, 7.5 lakh for an internally upgraded captain ("commander") and 8.5 lakh for a senior captain (April 2023).
- Trainee pilots: INR 50,000 per month at first, then INR 2.35 lakh per month after line release, for up to one year (April 2023).
- Flying allowance: paid per hour, from INR 2,900 to 3,770 for a first officer and INR 6,500 to 8,450 for a commander depending on hours flown; plus a widebody allowance of INR 75,000 per month for commanders and INR 25,000 for other pilots (April 2023).
- Annual earnings: according to an Air India executive, every captain in the group would earn at least INR 1 crore (10 million rupees) a year at 70 flying hours, allowances included (April 2023).
- 2024 raise: from 1 April 2024, +INR 5,000 per month for first officers and captains, +INR 11,000 for commanders, and a new annual performance bonus of up to INR 1.8 lakh (May 2024).
- 2026 revision: an 8 to 15% raise, largest for commanders; at about 55 hours a month a senior commander goes from about INR 7.5 to 8.3 lakh and a first officer from just over 3 to about 3.3 lakh; guaranteed pay is still based on 40 hours (August 2026).
- Leave: the same revision cuts privilege leave from 30 to 24 days, with weekly days off not counted as leave; Air India Express pilots objected to the cut (August 2026).
- Air India Express: a Boeing 737 fleet allowance of up to INR 21 lakh for senior commanders and INR 10 lakh for senior first officers is paid in three instalments from October 2026 (August 2026).
Sources read (4)
The Air India selection, as candidates tell it
What candidates report on forums (Aeronet, Pilot Jobs Network) and what the employer publishes, summarised by ForAllPilots. It is not the official process: it changes from one campaign to the next, always check the posting.
Reliability of the reports : low
The stages
- Cadets and junior first officers: written test, psychometric assessment, group discussion, individual interview, simulator check, then medical.
- Experienced pilots: no written test, but psychometrics, interview, simulator, medical and background check.
- Simulator sometimes at the candidate's expense in some Indian campaigns; foreign captains recruited through agencies.
The aptitude tests
- Written and psychometric tests whose content candidates have not described in detail.
The technical part
- Few accounts; simulator check of flying proficiency.
Candidates' tips
- The information comes from official announcements more than from candidates: check each campaign.
Our exercises to prepare
Give yourself every chance
A captain selection focuses on leadership, decision-making and crew management: prepare real situations, what you decided and why.
Expect an in-depth technical interview and a simulator session: go over abnormal procedures and the performance of your type.
Some airlines give aptitude tests to captains too: a refresher on the arithmetic and attention exercises never hurts.