Air India pilots 'very stressed' due to unpaid flying allowances in May

Air India (Commons)

Financial stress is troubling Air India pilots since they are yet to receive their last month’s flying allowance, which accounts for around 70 percent of their total salary. The delay is due to Air India awaiting fund infusion before it is able to pay the allowances.

As per a report by The Times of India, the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) has issued a list of dos and don'ts for all pilots asking them to strictly adhere to all norms.

In the letter, the ICPA (South) said, “You are hereby directed to observe the flight safety week in full sprit in [the] interest of [the] safety of crew and passengers as we are ‘presently’ operating in very stressful conditions, due to non-payment of flying allowance leading to immense financial stress. Physiological stressors lead to emotional factors such as financial worries. Time and again studies have clearly shown that emotional factors are repeatedly present in aircraft accidents.”

Cash-strapped Air India is unable to pay its employees. Further, some banks have recalled Rs 1,000-crore loan that the carrier requested to pay its employees.

As the airline awaits fund infusion, the ICPA has asked the pilots to follow certain rules like; no last-minute pull-outs for flights, no extension of duty-time limitation, no visual approaches, if feeling fatigued or stressed then sick leave should be taken, strict adherence of standard operating procedures and stabilised approaches, managed speeds to be followed throughout the flight, comfortable taxi speed to be maintained among other things.