Senior and former Air India pilots said the airline must pay attention to the mental and physical health of pilots, especially since there have been pay cuts and greater stress since the outbreak of Covid-19.

Senior airline officials said Air India Express had announced heavy pay cuts for its flying crew on August 5. An office circular dated August 5 cited adverse effects on airlines due to the pandemic and announced pay cuts for Air India Express’s flying crew (pilots and cabin crew). All pilots, along with the ground instructors, would have to take a 40% pay cut from their flying allowance, which pilots claim constitutes 70% of their salary. The circular also stated cabin crew would take a 20% pay cut.

An Air India Express pilot alleged the pay cuts were unfair, “Unlike Air India, Air India Express has been posting profits for the past four consecutive years. Why has the management then imposed heavy pay cuts? Also, the management is taking a pay-cut of around 8% whereas we are burdened with maximum pay cuts,” said the pilot.

Air India Express did not respond to calls or message from this reporter.

Additionally, both Air India and Air India Express have done away with testing pilots for Covid-19 after flights, which has raised anxieties of getting infected, said pilots.

An Air India spokesperson said, “We are adhering to all the laid down protocols required to protect the safety of our crew members. We are only streamlining the procedure. Our crew still have the option of getting the test done whenever they feel they have the symptoms on return.”

A senior airline pilot said, “Initially, pilots would be tested for Covid two days before flying and after landing at the destination airport. However, it is nearly two weeks now that the airline has stopped conducting post-flight Covid tests for pilots which is a cause of worry for everyone.”

An official from Air India said, “According to the new norms, a pilot can be tested after landing only if he is symptomatic. But there are many cases where a person with no symptoms tests positive for the virus. In that case, there are high chances that the pilot will infect his family, and children or parents are at higher risk of getting infected. Every pilot flying during this phase has this stress of carrying the virus home.”

Captain Mohan Ranganathan, former Boeing 737 instructor and aviation safety aviation expert, said, “Stress is a big factor because you are not only worried for yourself but also about infecting family hence it will always be there in your mind. You will not (mentally) be 200% in the cockpit.” He said another worry among pilots would be losing their license in case they contract a severe case of Covid-19 and their medical record is affected as a result of this.

Another Air India Express pilot said the pilots are suffering from fatigue. “The previous flight duty time limit (FDTL) for pilots did not allow consecutive night flying. However, the revised FDTL, introduced in 2019, allows pilots to be rostered for two consecutive nights in a week. Air India Express particularly has many flights scheduled at night, which take a toll on the body as a pilot is expected to report to duty two hours before departure time,” they said.

A senior official from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, “The [FTDL] matter is sub judice and so I would not like to comment.”

All pilots spoke to HT requesting anonymity since they are not authorised to speak to the media.