Retired AI pilot dies, suspected cause corona

Retired AI pilot dies, suspected cause corona

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:07.06.2020

An Air India pilot, who retired from the airline about a month ago, passed away on Friday night and the cause of death is suspected to be coronavirus.

An airline official said: “The senior captain, 58, had retired in April-end and had not flown in AI after that. We spoke to his family and they are saying it is not Covid, although the building (where the pilot lived) people are calling it corona.”

The senior captain operated the Airbus A320. During his career, he had also served as flight operation inspector in the DGCA. His demise has raised concern within the airline as a significant number of pilots and cabin crew are grappling with coronavirus.

“We have three-four symptomatic and 30-40 asymptomatic Covid-19 cases. Besides, we have 150 quarantined pilots and cabin crew members. In all about 200 of our crew members are either Covid positive or quarantined after passenger/s on the flights they operated tested positive,” said the official. Worryingly, the curve is rising in recent times, he added.

AI pilots are very agitated. They say while they risk their lives to operate Vande Bharat evacuation flights — the only international flights to and from India at the moment — the airline is not even paying them salary. The flying allowance (which accounts for over 70% of total pay) is due for March, April and May, and the basic of May is yet to be paid.

In the last two days, the pilots have been holding meetings with the AI management on the issue of pay. The aviation ministry is learnt to have asked the management to pay the pilots as per actual flying hours.

“When we leave our homes to operate flights, many of us face troubles from our RWAs or neighbours. We risk our lives for performing a service for the nation by flying stranded Indians from foreign countries home. On top of that the ministry and the management are showing no concern for us. No one even knows when and if we will be paid,” said a senior pilot.

Meanwhile, two pilots of Vistara have tested positive for Covid-19.