SIA recruiting cabin crew again after 2-year hiring freeze

SINGAPORE - National carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) has begun recruiting cabin crew again, after a two-year hiring freeze brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is to meet new manpower requirements amid rising demand for international air travel, as more vaccinated travel lanes (VTLs) have been set up, said SIA on Saturday (Feb 12).

The airline - which has been boosting its capacity and adjusting its passenger services in line with the increased demand - is now accepting applications through its website. However, it did not say how many new workers it intends to hire.

SIA said the latest hiring drive takes into account the need to replace cabin crew who have left over the past two years, as well as to meet its growth plans.

The airline will shortlist and select candidates based on merit and suitability for the role.

According to the SIA Group's 2020/2021 annual report, Singapore's national carrier lost a total of 2,829 employees between end-March 2020 and end-March last year. Of these, 2,379 were cabin crew.

As at March 31 last year, there were 6,887 cabin crew employed by SIA, compared with 9,266 the year before, a 25.7 % drop.

The airline did not provide figures on its current staff strength.

A big reason for the job loss was a major job cutting exercise in September 2020, as SIA grappled with closed borders and grounded planes.

The group decided to cut around 4,300 positions across its carriers - SIA, its subsidiary SilkAir and low-cost carrier Scoot - in September 2020, a move that affected about 2,400 employees in Singapore and in overseas stations after accounting for measures such as a hiring freeze instituted since February 2020 and natural attrition.

SIA said the airline has remained in contact with cabin crew who were affected by the 2020 layoffs and invited former crew members to apply for a position as part of the recruitment drive.

Like other applicants, these former staff members will also be shortlisted and selected based on merit and suitability, it added.

While it declined to share exact figures, the airline said most of its current cabin crew and pilots are now back on active duty.

This is thanks to the resumption of international air travel, mainly via VTLs. Singapore currently has 24 such air travel lanes set up.

Because of this, SIA Group carried more than 300,000 passengers in November last year, 59.4 % more than in the previous month of October.

As at end-December last year, SIA Group's passenger capacity across its two airlines was at 45 % of pre-Covid-19 levels, with passenger capacity for January this year expected to be at about 47 % of pre-pandemic levels.

In December last year, SIA Group launched VTL flights from Bangkok, Seattle, Vancouver, Istanbul, Phnom Penh and Male in the Maldives, among others.

With Australia - a major market for both Singaporean and transit passengers - reopening its borders to all vaccinated travellers from Feb 21 this year, SIA is also expected to add more flights to and from the continent.

A spokesman said: "SIA will continue to make necessary investments, both in our people and the business, to ensure that we are in a position to emerge stronger as international air travel recovers."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.