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Minor increase in sick leaves by Air India pilots after Ahmedabad crash: Centre
112 Air India pilots, comprising 51 commanders and 61 first officers (P2), reported sick on July 16. According to March data, the airline had 3,280 pilots
NEW DELHI: There was a minor increase in instances of Air India pilots going on sick leave across all fleets after its London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people, the government told the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
“Air India reported a minor increase in sick leaves reported by pilots across all fleets in the aftermath of the AI-171 accident. On 16.06.202, a total of 112 pilots reported sick, comprising 51 Commanders (P1) and 61 First Officers (P2),” minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in a written statement in response to a question by Bharatiya Janata Party’s Hardoi MP Jai Prakash.
The MP had asked the government about remedial measures such as holding post-trauma mental health workshops to mitigate the stress of pilots and cabin crew in view of the air crash.
To be sure, the minister told parliament on March 20 this year that Air India has a total of 3,280 pilots.
Mohol said the DGCA has already issued a medical circular regarding mental health of flight crews and air traffic controllers (ATCOs) on 22 Feb 2023, which lays down guidelines for operators (scheduled and non-scheduled) and DGCA-empanelled medical examiners.”
He added that the guidelines include “quick and effective methods to assess mental health that can easily be performed by the DGCA-empanelled medical examiners during the Class 1/2/3 medical examination.”
The government has also introduced a standalone, customised training capsule for flight crew and ATCOs to help recognise and manage the adverse effects of mental health conditions, he said.
Airlines have been advised to implement this initiative, the minister said.
The minister underlined that scheduled and non-scheduled operators, flying training organisations and the Airport Authority of India have been advised to have a Peer Support Programme (PSP) in place for their employees.
“The organisations are required to enable, facilitate and ensure access to this proactive and non-punitive programme that will assist and support flight crew/ATCOs in recognising, coping with and overcoming any problem,” the minister said.
Since the June 12 crash, at least 15 other operational issues and serious incidents have been reported involving Air India and its low-cost arm, Air India Express.
The Boeing 787 crash on June 12 was one of aviation’s deadliest tragedies in recent years, which prompted comprehensive safety reviews. A preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) has identified fuel control switches set to “cut off” during takeoff as the main cause of the crash. Why the switches were flipped is under investigation.
