AI PILOTS’ BODY CLAIMS CREW HARASSED ON MOSCOW FLIGHT

India’s narrow-body pilot wing – Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) – on Sunday wrote to its management, alleging that its crew was harassed on Saturday. The association said it would not operate any flight other than the ones carrying essentials (cargo), if the behaviour was repeated with the crew. On Saturday, a Moscowbound flight had to return to Delhi after one of their cockpit crew members was found positive for coronavirus.

The union stated that the crew on the Delhi-moscow flight on Saturday had a “traumatic day” after a pilot was tested positive, following which, the rest of the crew were made to wait the entire day without food or refreshments. However, the airline has refused to comment on the issue.

ICPA alleged that health officials at Delhi airport failed to comply with government orders and the protocol to be followed before and after flight for Covid testing, for crew operating Vande Bharat Mission flights.

The union also alleged that the crew were harassed by the health officials at the airport and were being forced to be taken to a government medical facility for seven days. ICPA said that it was only after the institutional quarantine facilities refused to accept the crew that they were allowed to go home, to follow home-isolation for 14 days.

The letter read, “...you will appreciate the fact that we are operating flights under Vande Bharat mission as “national duty” and the treatment meted to the operating crew is distasteful. We do not appreciate the treatment perpetrated to our crew and if history repeats itself, we will not be in a position to operate any flights other than the essential services.” The union also pointed out that the post-flight Covid-19 testing was not carried out and the crew were not accommodated in a hotel as per the protocol.

The letter stated, “...It can be construed as a lack of coordination between Air India, ministry of home affairs, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and health officials at the airport.” The pilot’s body has sought clarification on the protocol to be followed by their colleagues when a positive case of Covid is found on a domestic flight and on a flight for Vande Bharat mission.