Air India international flights grounded as Directorate General of Civil Aviation finds 50 pilots unfit to fly

Over 50 Air India (AI) pilots, including several commanders deployed on international routes, have been declared temporarily unfit by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA) or have fallen sick throwing many international flights out of gear during the year-end, when the demand for air travel is at its peak.

A senior pilot with AI (International) said that some pilots have reported sick as they have not taken leave for quite some time.

AI has around 430 pilots flying wide-bodied planes on international routes. They include 120 commanders, 150 executive pilots and 160 co-pilots. Thirteen of these commanders still remain suspended since May for spearheading the month-long agitation.

Official sources said that more than 40 pilots deployed on international routes have been grounded temporarily and advised rest for, at least, four to eight weeks as they are medically unfit. "They will only fly when they report to be normal," said an official requesting anonymity.

"Our salaries are cut if we report sick or take off. We are asked to work non-stop. This compromises air safety," the pilot said.

These pilots allege that the management has increased the number of flights but the crew strength has not been increased proportionally.

"If a pilot or any other crew member is not available at the last moment, there is no back-up arrangement. This results in delaying flights. It is not that there is a shortage of air crew. It is just that the management is not deploying the manpower in an efficient and more productive manner," the pilot added.

An AI flight from Mumbai to Riyadh on Sunday morning was delayed by over 18 hours as the aircrew did not report on time.

The 300 passengers had a harrowing time. The flight, which was rescheduled just an hour before the departure time, took off only around midnight.

Cancellations of AI flights is not new. A petition challenging the frequent cancellation of flights and demanding provision for alternative arrangements has been filed in the Kerala High Court(HC) against the carrier.

Responding to the petition in October, the airline submitted that flight delays were due to reasons "beyond the control of the management". It also did not state the exact reason for the cancellations.

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