National carrier Air India has recently sacked over 50 pilots citing financial constraints due to the pandemic. The termination letters were handed over to the pilots weeks after the airline promised on Twitter that they would not lay off any employee. The letter mentioned that their termination comes into effect immediately. The news came as a rude shock for all those who served the nation during the pandemic. The airlines also fired some Vande Bharat pilots who brought fellow countrymen home during the COVID-19 crisis.
Also read: FlyDubai, Air India Express Announce New Rules For Passengers Departing From UAE
Termination Of Over 50 Pilots
Meanwhile, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association wrote to Air India Chairperson and Managing Director Rajiv Bansal stating that the termination was a blatant violation of the company’s operation manual and service rules. Around 50 have been terminated overnight unceremoniously without following proper procedure. Dubai Resident Overjoyed After ALL Family Members Survive The Air India Express Crash.
Pilots Made To Fly After Termination
If reports are to be believed, some Air India pilots continued to fly a day after they got sacked, unaware that the airline had let them go. The news came after the airlines vowed not to fire their employees, opting for a broad leave without pay program instead. Some pilots were also made to fly after they were given the termination letters. What would have been the mental state of the pilots? For the safety of the travelling passengers alone if not on humanitarian grounds, the airlines should not have made these pilots operate flights under such traumatic circumstances.
Delay In Vande Bharat Flights
It turns out that the removal of pilots has also led to delays in the Vande Bharat flights. One flight from Saudi Arabia recently got delayed because the pilot was sacked from service. Many pilots sacked were due to fly in the next few days, throwing all the long-planned schedules in disarray. Air India Cancels Flights To 5 European Destinations Due To Low Demand & Loss of Revenue.
Air India’s Response
However, Air India claimed that the airlines no longer requires the services of those terminated. The company defended itself by stating that the pilots had resigned from the benefits of Air India citing financial constraints. These pilots include permanent and contractual ones. Moreover, some of these pilots had filed petitions before Delhi High Court seeking Air India to accept the withdrawal of their resignations. No Covid Tests For Kids Under 12 Flying From India To UAE: Air India Express.
The sacking of pilots by the airlines raises a myriad of concerns, including the validity of insurances and the mental health of the pilots.