Pilots body targets whistleblower

The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA), an association of erstwhile Indian Airlines pilots, has expelled senior management pilot Gurudath from all welfare schemes managed by the union. He had implemented some strict measures intended to bring in discipline among pilots who were reporting sick for their flights.

The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA), an association of erstwhile Indian Airlines pilots, has expelled senior management pilot Gurudath from all welfare schemes managed by the union. He had implemented some strict measures intended to bring in discipline among pilots who were reporting sick for their flights.

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As reported by Hindustan Times on February 5, Gurudath, in charge of crew scheduling at Bangalore, had issued directions to share health records of pilots with medical centres run by Air Force so that specialists could independently ascertain whether cases of sick reporting were genuine or not, a move that infuriated a section of the pilots.

“ICPA manages various welfare schemes. In case a pilot is medically grounded or loses his license, all members contribute a certain sum of money, which is passed on to the beneficiary. Though management pilots (who hold managerial posts) are not members of the union, they can subscribe to such schemes,” an AI official said.