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6-Apr-2011 9:54 AM

Korean Air accused of 'unfairly recruiting' pilots from Air Busan

Korean Air has been accused by Air Busan, the LCC affiliate of Asiana Airlines, of "stealing" pilots from Air Busan and other LCCs in South Korea by luring them with large paychecks and generous benefits (Korea Times, 05-Apr-2011). Air Busan has claimed that Korean Air has been intentionally targetting its well-trained pilots, claiming this constitutes an act of unfair trade by using a dominant market position. "Korean Air operates a training centre, producing a substantial number of pilots. However, it is still engaged in the dubious practice of stealing flight operators from low-cost carriers. This is tantamount to an act of violating fair trade rules," an Air Busan spokeswoman said. Korean Air has responded by saying there is nothing wrong with its recruitment practices, insisting it has not targetted experienced pilots of any particular airline. "It is totally up to pilots themselves whether to change workplace or not. It will be discriminatory if we tell pilots from budget carriers not to apply for our positions," a Korean Air spokesman said. Korean Air recently hired four former Air Busan pilots.

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