Queering
the pitch for troubled Air India, two executive pilots, who form the backbone
of the national airline's foreign operations these days, have submitted their
resignations, citing 'fatigue and stress'.
Recently, two senior commanders, who had served for over two decades, had sent in their resignation letters alleging that every Air India flight is a 'disaster in the making' with a major disaster imminent because the airline is forcing fatigued pilots to fly.
In his resignation letter (seen by ET) to the management, pilot S Sen wrote that the next air disaster on the Air India network is imminent because of the low safety standards. According to an AI official, Sen has been with the airline since 1991. The other pilot to quit is Rahul Tunara, who has also quit citing fatigue. In his letter dated June 8, the AI pilot is reported to have said: "There has been no discussion on the safety aspect arising due to low morale because of sacking of 101 pilots, loss of homes due to delayed salaries and mindless rostering of pilots and financial penalties for reporting sick."
Quoting a US safety board report, the letter went on to add that 65 per cent of air accidents occur due to human error, sleep deprivation and poor decision-making. Giving reasons for resignation, the pilot stated in his letter that every flight undertaken and the company fall in the highest risk zone... (and because) the undersigned is not able to prevent this disaster from happening and is also not able to fulfill his duties as training captain.
This is not the first time that safety concerns have been raised about Air India flights. In 2011, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had conducted a safety audit and had found most private airlines and Air India extremely low on safety benchmarks and it was supposed to undertake a detailed safety audit of the national carrier. Air India's rate of incidents had gone up drastically in 2011.
These high-profile resignations actually puncture a hole in Air India top management and civil aviation ministry's claim that Air India is cruising and operating 75 per cent of its international operations without the 410-odd agitating Indian Pilots' Guild(IPG) pilots as the 120 executive pilots are more than keeping flights in air.
Recently, two senior commanders, who had served for over two decades, had sent in their resignation letters alleging that every Air India flight is a 'disaster in the making' with a major disaster imminent because the airline is forcing fatigued pilots to fly.
In his resignation letter (seen by ET) to the management, pilot S Sen wrote that the next air disaster on the Air India network is imminent because of the low safety standards. According to an AI official, Sen has been with the airline since 1991. The other pilot to quit is Rahul Tunara, who has also quit citing fatigue. In his letter dated June 8, the AI pilot is reported to have said: "There has been no discussion on the safety aspect arising due to low morale because of sacking of 101 pilots, loss of homes due to delayed salaries and mindless rostering of pilots and financial penalties for reporting sick."
Quoting a US safety board report, the letter went on to add that 65 per cent of air accidents occur due to human error, sleep deprivation and poor decision-making. Giving reasons for resignation, the pilot stated in his letter that every flight undertaken and the company fall in the highest risk zone... (and because) the undersigned is not able to prevent this disaster from happening and is also not able to fulfill his duties as training captain.
This is not the first time that safety concerns have been raised about Air India flights. In 2011, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had conducted a safety audit and had found most private airlines and Air India extremely low on safety benchmarks and it was supposed to undertake a detailed safety audit of the national carrier. Air India's rate of incidents had gone up drastically in 2011.
These high-profile resignations actually puncture a hole in Air India top management and civil aviation ministry's claim that Air India is cruising and operating 75 per cent of its international operations without the 410-odd agitating Indian Pilots' Guild(IPG) pilots as the 120 executive pilots are more than keeping flights in air.
Air
India CMD Rohit
Nanadan did not respond to an ET mail on the issue. But, Civil
Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, while addressing a press conference on
Monday, dismissed the fatigue argument that is being put forth by senior Air
India pilots. "If they are fatigued, there are regulations to look into
it. The director general of civil aviation will see how much they are flying
and if they are tired or not," Singh said.
But the new flight duty guidelines that will give pilots adequate rest have not been implemented by airlines yet and pilots of all carriers allege that airlines would not want to implement such rules that make the man sweat a little less.
Even senior pilots at Air India are now questioning the airline's strategy of not doing its ultra long haul flights to US and bunching most international operations, forcing 120 executive pilots to operate flights. Last week executive pilots met Ajit Singh and got a jolt when their demand to look into the fatigue factor did not yield an outcome. On Monday, 30 executive pilots, too, reported sick, laying flat Air India's hopes to sustain its international operations till it puts a business plan in place in consultation with its overseas departments.
The contingency plan of the airline is announced till June 30. "Some of the pilots have not been granted leave for three years now...," said an executive pilot not wanting to be named. Air India is in the process of a financial restructuring and the government has committed to an equity infusion of Rs 30,000 crore to the airline over the next 10 years.
But the new flight duty guidelines that will give pilots adequate rest have not been implemented by airlines yet and pilots of all carriers allege that airlines would not want to implement such rules that make the man sweat a little less.
Even senior pilots at Air India are now questioning the airline's strategy of not doing its ultra long haul flights to US and bunching most international operations, forcing 120 executive pilots to operate flights. Last week executive pilots met Ajit Singh and got a jolt when their demand to look into the fatigue factor did not yield an outcome. On Monday, 30 executive pilots, too, reported sick, laying flat Air India's hopes to sustain its international operations till it puts a business plan in place in consultation with its overseas departments.
The contingency plan of the airline is announced till June 30. "Some of the pilots have not been granted leave for three years now...," said an executive pilot not wanting to be named. Air India is in the process of a financial restructuring and the government has committed to an equity infusion of Rs 30,000 crore to the airline over the next 10 years.
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