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‘IAF personnel taking premature retirements, joining civil airlines post 2015’
Yeshika Budhwar| TNN | Jan 17, 2018, 11:16 IST
DEHRADUN: Since 2014, 553 Air Force personnel, a majority of them officers, went for a premature retirement as the hike in their salary was lower than what they expected, said sources from the Indian Air Force (IAF). According to serving officers, most officers quit after seeing a scant increase in their flying pay allowance (a component in their salary, which is approximately Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.2 lakh), which was revised from a slab of Rs 10,500-Rs 15,750 per month to Rs 17,300-Rs 25,000 per month, according to the 7th pay commission.
IAF personnel who take an early retirement and join civil airlines, often receive a lucrative hike. The approximate starting salary in civil airlines is Rs 2.5 lakh per month, depending on the portfolio. In 2014 alone, some 100 officers quit the IAF. Talking to TOI, a serving officer said, "With the 7th pay commission, we were definitely expecting a higher increase in the flying allowance, but it was incremented only marginally, which might have triggered officers to take premature retirements. In civil airlines, experienced pilots get hired with a very good salary package, which is also a incentive for them to quit," said a serving Air Force officer.
Apart from the flying allowance, the promotion model is also matter of discontent among officers. A serving wing commander told TOI, "The promotions are pyramidal and have gotten more competitive over the years. I am a fighter pilot and recipient of a gallantry award but still have not made it to the next rank. There are many cases like mine, and these are the people that opt to fly outside the IAF than continue to serve."
However, some of the personnel who took a premature retirement in favour of civil airlines now claim that the trend might buckle, with the IAF paying almost the same as a civil airline now. "There wasn't much of a difference between the number of people who left 2016 and in 2017. Although there was a spurt in the number people quitting in 2016 (the difference between those who quit in 2015 and those in the next year was substantial), the trend of officers taking a premature retirement and joining civil airlines might actually be reversed," said captain A Goswami, a retired Air Fore officer who is now flying for a private airline.
He added, "The flying allowance might not have been increased by a lot but with other components having been incremented, armed forces personnel now get a decent salary per month. Outside, the starting salary is approximately Rs 2.5 lakh, which is very close to what a serving officer is getting now. I don't think many officers will be looking at premature retirement because we are gradually becoming at par with what the private airlines pay."
Yeshika Budhwar| TNN | Jan 17, 2018, 11:16 IST
DEHRADUN: Since 2014, 553 Air Force personnel, a majority of them officers, went for a premature retirement as the hike in their salary was lower than what they expected, said sources from the Indian Air Force (IAF). According to serving officers, most officers quit after seeing a scant increase in their flying pay allowance (a component in their salary, which is approximately Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.2 lakh), which was revised from a slab of Rs 10,500-Rs 15,750 per month to Rs 17,300-Rs 25,000 per month, according to the 7th pay commission.
IAF personnel who take an early retirement and join civil airlines, often receive a lucrative hike. The approximate starting salary in civil airlines is Rs 2.5 lakh per month, depending on the portfolio. In 2014 alone, some 100 officers quit the IAF. Talking to TOI, a serving officer said, "With the 7th pay commission, we were definitely expecting a higher increase in the flying allowance, but it was incremented only marginally, which might have triggered officers to take premature retirements. In civil airlines, experienced pilots get hired with a very good salary package, which is also a incentive for them to quit," said a serving Air Force officer.
Apart from the flying allowance, the promotion model is also matter of discontent among officers. A serving wing commander told TOI, "The promotions are pyramidal and have gotten more competitive over the years. I am a fighter pilot and recipient of a gallantry award but still have not made it to the next rank. There are many cases like mine, and these are the people that opt to fly outside the IAF than continue to serve."
However, some of the personnel who took a premature retirement in favour of civil airlines now claim that the trend might buckle, with the IAF paying almost the same as a civil airline now. "There wasn't much of a difference between the number of people who left 2016 and in 2017. Although there was a spurt in the number people quitting in 2016 (the difference between those who quit in 2015 and those in the next year was substantial), the trend of officers taking a premature retirement and joining civil airlines might actually be reversed," said captain A Goswami, a retired Air Fore officer who is now flying for a private airline.
He added, "The flying allowance might not have been increased by a lot but with other components having been incremented, armed forces personnel now get a decent salary per month. Outside, the starting salary is approximately Rs 2.5 lakh, which is very close to what a serving officer is getting now. I don't think many officers will be looking at premature retirement because we are gradually becoming at par with what the private airlines pay."
