Air India on Friday said 48 new pilots, who have completed their training, will start operating the airline's A320 fleet.

A total of 40 men and 8 women pilots have completed their training at Air India's training campus in Hyderabad.

In a release, the Tatas-owned Air India said its maiden batch of cabin crew trainees and significant batch of new pilots since privatisation, have graduated.

"The batch of 215 cabin crew and 48 pilots, all Indian nationals, received their wings following extensive training, and are now cleared to operate as fully-qualified crew," it said.

The Tata group took control of Air India in January this year.

According to the release, the new pilots, comprising 40 men and 8 women, will commence operating the Airbus A320 fleet.

Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said the airline is hiring across all business areas, and from all parts of the country, to support our transformation and ambitions growth plans.

"Attracting and developing enthusiastic and capable people is an important and crucial part of our Vihaan.AI transformation programme," he added.

The batch of 215 cabin crew trainees were selected from more than 13,000 candidates.

The cabin crew trainees cleared a 15-week programme imparting safety and service skills, and were coached to exemplify the best of Indian hospitality and Tata group culture.

The programme included extensive classroom and in-flight training at the airline's training facility in Mumbai as well as familiarisation flights, the release said.

As part of expanding its operations, Air India has announced direct flights between various Indian cities and destinations like Doha, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Birmingham.

Besides, the airline is set to commence direct flights from Delhi to key European cities like Milan, Vienna and Copenhagen, and from Mumbai to New York, Paris and Frankfurt.