Mumbai: No-frills airline IndiGo recently appointed chief operating officer, Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, had left his previous employer, GoAir, on a sour note with his final months there marked by constant disagreements with the airline's promoters at the Wadia Group, said several people in the know.
IndiGo is Prock-Schauer's third airline employer in India, after Jet Airways and GoAir — no other executive has worked in as many Indian carriers in top management positions. The Austrian has been the chief executive of British Midland International and Air Berlin (Germany/UK) in the past. GoAir, its promoters and Prock-Schauer didn't comment on the development. Sources with knowledge of the matter said starting April-May 2017, there were disagreements between chief executive Prock-Schauer and the Wadias over issues of yields and induction of foreign pilots as commanders for the airline's new Airbus A320 planes.
Wadias were unhappy about some new routes started by Prock-Schauer that were not making money, said some of the people ETspoke to. The promoters were also not pleased with his decision to induct expatriate commanders, the people said, as that would inflate the salary bill for the airline. A foreign pilot gets up to twice the salary of his Indian peer.
GoAir hired about 40 expatriate commanders last year. Some people also supported Prock-Schauer, saying GoAir's revenue per available seat kilometre — a measure of operational efficiency — was industry best during April-June. "On the issue of pilots, there is no doubt that expatriates come at higher salaries, not conducive for a low-fare carrier. But GoAir had promoted and upgraded as many first officers as it could and there was no more room. Also, it's common knowledge that there is a dearth ofcommander pilots in India," said a pilot at the airline, supporting the decision to induct foreign pilots.
06/02/18 Anirban CHowdhury/Economic Times
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IndiGo is Prock-Schauer's third airline employer in India, after Jet Airways and GoAir — no other executive has worked in as many Indian carriers in top management positions. The Austrian has been the chief executive of British Midland International and Air Berlin (Germany/UK) in the past. GoAir, its promoters and Prock-Schauer didn't comment on the development. Sources with knowledge of the matter said starting April-May 2017, there were disagreements between chief executive Prock-Schauer and the Wadias over issues of yields and induction of foreign pilots as commanders for the airline's new Airbus A320 planes.
Wadias were unhappy about some new routes started by Prock-Schauer that were not making money, said some of the people ETspoke to. The promoters were also not pleased with his decision to induct expatriate commanders, the people said, as that would inflate the salary bill for the airline. A foreign pilot gets up to twice the salary of his Indian peer.
GoAir hired about 40 expatriate commanders last year. Some people also supported Prock-Schauer, saying GoAir's revenue per available seat kilometre — a measure of operational efficiency — was industry best during April-June. "On the issue of pilots, there is no doubt that expatriates come at higher salaries, not conducive for a low-fare carrier. But GoAir had promoted and upgraded as many first officers as it could and there was no more room. Also, it's common knowledge that there is a dearth ofcommander pilots in India," said a pilot at the airline, supporting the decision to induct foreign pilots.
06/02/18 Anirban CHowdhury/Economic Times
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