• Delta Airlines calls pilots back into service

    From Aviation HQ@2:292/854 to All on Wed Jan 27 14:42:08 2021
    Delta Air Lines will take 400 pilots who have been disabled back into active service this summer. The pilots are needed to be ready for the real recovery of air traffic in the summer of 2022. These pilots will undergo training in the coming months.

    This is evident from an internal memo in the possession of CNBC. Last year, Delta gave 1,700 young pilots home a reduced salary, of which four hundred are now returning to active service. Thanks to government support, Delta was able to avoid forced layoffs.

    "As we looked at ways to better position ourselves to support the expected recovery, we saw an opportunity to strengthen the flying corps ahead of the summer of 2022 with 400 pilots returning to main duty ", Operations manager John Laughter in the memo.

    The training courses are necessary in view of the shifts that have taken place within Delta. Older pilots, for example, retired and aircraft such as the MD-80 / MD-90 and Boeing 717 were taken out of service. In addition, the fact that pilots have not flown for months makes training necessary.

    Although a real recovery is only expected in the summer of 2022, Delta CEO Ed Bastian showed himself optimistic for 2021 when the deep red annual figures were announced earlier this month. He even expects that the company will be profitable again as soon as more vaccines in the summer are available.

    John Laughter speaks in similar terms in the memo. Remember that the road to recovery ahead will be long and bumpy. However, we are cautiously optimistic that demand will increase as vaccinations are rolled out around the world, and are looking forward to seeing all full flight status as recovery continues.

    --- DB4 - Dec.21 2020
    * Origin: AVIATION ECHO HQ (2:292/854)