Air India Cabin Crew Requirements, Salary & Hiring
Everything you need to know before you apply to Air India— requirements, real pay, the hiring process, and whether they're recruiting right now.
Reviewed August 2026 · confirm exact figures on Air India's careers page before applying.
Is Air India hiring right now?
Post-merger with Vistara, Air India's international cabin crew hiring has picked up pace.
Track Air India hiring newsAir India cabin crew requirements
- Age
- 18–27 typically, varies by recruitment drive
- Education
- 10+2 (higher secondary) minimum; graduates preferred for international routes
- English
- Fluent spoken English; Hindi and a regional language are an advantage
- Tattoos
- No visible tattoos in uniform is the general standard
- Swimming
- Swimming ability is assessed as part of safety training
- Medical
- Class 2 medical fitness certificate required
Reported height 155 cm (female) / 170 cm (male); BMI proportionate to height also assessed. Check your own eligibility →
Air India cabin crew salary
- Basic pay
- ₹25,000–30,000 basic for freshers
- Flying pay
- Flying allowance on top of basic, scales with hours and route type
- Per-diem
- Layover allowance on domestic and international routes
- Accommodation
- Not typically provided — most crew are based near their home city
Total: Roughly ₹35,000–55,000/month all-in for junior cabin crew, higher on international routes. Subject to Indian income tax as a domestic employer.
Full Air India salary breakdown →Air India hiring process
- 1Online application + CV screening
- 2Walk-in interview or online video round (grooming + English check)
- 3Group discussion
- 4Final interview with a recruitment panel
- 5Medical exam, then a training offer
Recruitment drives run periodically, especially after fleet or route expansion announcements.
From the crew
Air India's walk-in drives move fast and can feel chaotic compared to the structured Gulf open days — arrive early, because the order you're seen in genuinely affects how much attention each candidate gets from a panel that's tired by the afternoon. Since the Vistara merger, I've noticed the bar on English and international-route readiness has risen; if you're aiming for international postings rather than domestic-only, treat the English round as seriously as you would for a Gulf carrier.
Air India cabin crew FAQs
Does Air India hire freshers with no experience?
Yes — most walk-in drives are open to freshers with the right height, English, and grooming standards; hospitality or customer service background is a plus but not mandatory.
What happened to Vistara cabin crew recruitment?
Vistara merged into Air India in 2024 — all cabin crew recruitment for that brand now runs under the Air India name.