NAC hiring cabin crew

3,000 air hostesses and stewards trained annually, only 10 percent get hired

KATHMANDU, July 15: Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has announced 30 vacancies for the posts of air hostesses and stewards for new planes it has decided to purchase. The notice published in NAC's website on July 13 says it is hiring 20 air hostesses and 10 stewards for aviation cabin crew.

Interested eligible candidates can submit their application by July 27 and applicants also can apply for the posts paying double fee by August 3.

Candidates aged 18 to 25 can apply for the posts. NAC spokesperson Rabindra Shrestha said that the selected candidates will be given the post of trainee air hostesses or stewards in the beginning. "Good performers during the trainee period will be hired on contract for five years," he said.

However, workforce demand by the national flag carrier is lower than that of the previous year, when it recruited 35 air hostesses and 35 stewards.

According to Shrestha, NAC has announced the vacancy targeting the company's two new wide-body jets of A330-200 series. One of the jets is expected to land in Kathmandu by the second quarter of 2018.

"NAC has already decided to bring two new wide-body jets but we lack enough manpower for the new planes and we are also hiring more pilots," he said.

According to him NAC will announce vacancy for pilots and more air hostess and stewards in near future.

The national flag carrier NAC has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AAR Corp to buy two wide-body aircraft. Every year NAC and other airlines are hiring air hostess and stewards.

According to institutes that provide air hostess and steward training say that the demand is increasing over the years as new domestic airlines are coming into the market and existing companies are adding fleets.

Of the total 3,000 aviation cabin crew trained annually, only about 300 are lucky to land the job, according to officials of the institutes.

Pradip Raj Wanta, CEO of Nepal Air hostess Academy said that the demand of air hostess is increasing and there is excitement among the youths as NAC is adding two new aircraft.

"The craze of air hostess is increasing every year. Demand of air hostesses inside the country is also increasing every year," said Wanta, adding, "Until last year more than 50 air hostesses got jobs in national and international airlines companies and this year about 300 air hostesses have so far been hired."

Nazir Hussain, director of Flytech International, institute of air hostess training, said a total of 100 - 150 graduates every year but market demand is still on the lower side. "Air hostesses and stewards trained from our institute also have landed job in the international flights as the local demand is low," added Hussain.