Too many expats add to Jet`s attrition problems

N Hariharan, vice-president (office of the chairman), said he is joining the GVK-led MIAL as director, corporate relations. "I had conveyed my desire to move on to Chairman Naresh Goyal way back in January. There was nothing sudden and I have moved for better career opportunities in infrastructure, where I see growth," he said.

Jet said apart from Hariharan, AS Bedi and S Bandula are leaving the company as a result of better career prospects and family commitments. While refusing to be drawn into specifics, Jet pointed out that attrition was a common phenomena in any business enterprise and the growing aviation industry in India cannot be excluded.

Sources familar with the developments said the hiring of expats in key positions had ruffled feathers. Their salaries are at least 50 per cent more than those of local counterparts, said a former Jet Airways employee who quit recently.

A look at the number of expats who have joined the airline will make the picture clear. Jet recently hired the ex-Singapore Airlines executive Sudheer Raghavan as executive vice-president (commercial) in place of Carl Saldhana.

Abdulrahman Albusaidy, earlier with Oman Air and Hameed Ali, has joined as executive vice-president (operations and engineering). Recently, the JetLite CEO was replaced with Maunu von Lueders from Finnair.

Jet also replaced Murali Ramchandaran, its senior manager, airport services with another expat of Indian origin Jairaj Singaporia from Singapore Airlines. Moreover, Jet has 799 foreign pilots on its rolls as compared to over 200 Indian pilots (ministry of civil aviation figures).

But there might be a method to Jet's hiring of expats. "Jet wants to expand aggressively into the international market and from an investor perspective it is better to have more global names in key positions," said a former Jet executive, who did not want to be named.