On 27 April, Air India declared its intent to hire over 1,000 pilots, in line with its ambitious fleet expansion strategy. The Tata-owned airline had already placed orders for 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing earlier this year. However, some Air India pilots, who do not wish to be named, claim that there was another reason behind the advertisement. Their allegations are around the timing of the advertisement. They point out that the advertisement came at a time when the Air India management and its pilots were locked in a conflict over the revised terms of compensation that was recently introduced in April.