To highlight the struggle to get oxygen cylinders for themselves and their relations, Air India pilots have threatened to prevent flying unless the airline gets them vaccinated against Covid as soon as possible. This comes at a time when the national carrier has been transporting vital medical equipment like oxygen concentrators, BiPAP devices, ventilators, then on from various locations round the world to varied points throughout the country.
Air India said on Tuesday that it might vaccinate all of its employees against Covid-19 by the top of the month, after a pilots’ body requested that the inoculation of the flying crew be done on a priority basis, citing the danger to their lives from the deadly infection. The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), an Air India pilot union, wrote to the airline’s management on Tuesday: “Many crews are diagnosed Covid positive and are struggling to get oxygen cylinders.” They’re all left to defend themselves when it involves hospitalization.
“With no health care support for the flying crew, no benefits, and an enormous opportunistic salary cut, we are in no position to continue endangering our pilots’ lives by not vaccinating them. Our finances are already stretched thin, covering our bedridden colleagues and providing for families… If Air India fails to line up vaccination camps on a pan-India basis for flying crew over the age of 18, we’ll ‘STOP WORK,’” it added. To date, Air India has transported over 190 tonnes of medical equipment from stations in Hong Kong, Germany, the US , Singapore, Dubai, and London to India for onward delivery.
As the guidelines didn’t allow vaccination of persons below 45 years aged, Air India couldn’t complete the vaccination,” it noted. Since May, all persons above 18 years aged are going to be vaccinated, a schedule for vaccination is now being involved and it’s expected to commence as early as next week and each one employee goes to be vaccinated by the highest of this month.
Notably, private airline IndiGo previously stated that it might buy employee vaccinations. Furthermore, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Secretary, Civil Aviation (Additional Charge), wrote on April 27 during a letter to the chief secretaries of all states, “It is understandable that the crew, engineers, traffic controllers, technicians, ground staff, and frontline workers in aviation face significant risk in discharging their duties.”
“To confirm that the planet continues to provide critical services to the country, it is important that the aviation workforce is prioritized within the vaccination program,” added Tuhin. Air India said during a separate statement, “Discussions were already underway for the vaccination of all AI workers, including the crew.” AI was unable to finish the vaccine because the rules didn’t allow vaccination for people under the age of 45. Employees also will tend two days off after the vaccine dose is taken…a vaccination plan is now being developed, and it’s planned to start as early as next week, with all employees vaccinated by the top of this month, that’s May 2021”, stated Tuhin.
