This story is from April 3, 2020

Contravening government order, Air India may roster pilots during their quarantine

Air India may now roster pilots, who are under the fourteen-day home quarantine for having operated a flight to a Covid-affected country, for flights even during their quarantine period. The conditions for rostering pilots are they should have no symptoms of the infection and no one on the earlier foreign flight they operated should have tested positive for Covid. There is no regard for the possibility of such pilots being asymptomatic carriers.
Contravening government order, Air India may roster pilots during their quarantine
The AI internal communication had led to much anxiety among the pilots.
MUMBAI: Air India may now roster pilots, who are under the fourteen-day home quarantine for having operated a flight to a Covid-affected country, for flights even during their quarantine period. The conditions for rostering pilots are they should have no symptoms of the infection and no one on the earlier foreign flight they operated should have tested positive for Covid. There is no regard for the possibility of such pilots being asymptomatic carriers.

An internal email titled “Removal of Quarantine and Unblocking of the Crew” was sent recently by AI executive director (operations) to general manager, legal and crew management system, which referred to a DGCA March 23 circular which does not call for mandatory 14-day quarantine for all crew after travelling abroad. The mail states that “crew can be utilised for flying duties without 14 days of quarantine…” An exception would be made only if, as stated in the DGCA circular, there is “a positive case of Covid-19 on a flight, the entire crew has to be de-rostered for 14 days”. The said DGCA circular, while not calling for a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all crew, states that crew has to fill out a self-declaration form. It asks for quarantine only if crew develops symptoms.
The AI internal communication had led to much anxiety among the pilots. “It would be stressful, especially for commanders over the age of 50, to fly with a pilot who has a quarantine stamp on his or her hand,” said a senior commander. Another pilot said that if he steps out to operate a flight while under quarantine, he risks getting arrested. “Moreover, the housing society won’t take kindly to it and my family would face the consequences,” he added.
Air India spokesperson said, in a statement, “We may be requisitioning the services of some of our crew members who have not tested positive nor shown any symptoms, going by the DGCA March 23 circular. Air India is strictly adhering to guidelines issued by our regulatory body. All possible measures have been taken towards their health and safety as the safety of our air crew is paramount to us.” The statement also listed the measures taken by AI like fumigating aircraft and providing personal protective equipment to crew to check the spread of the virus.
However, AI’s decision to roster crew under 14-day quarantine is in contravention to the government’s notification, which states that a person with a history of travel to affected areas in last 14 days and who is asymptomatic must remain in home quarantine for 14 days from the day of exposure.
An AI senior commander said: "Fourteen day quarantine regulations are issued by local authorities under the Epidemic Disease Act 1897. The DGCA has no authority to give any dispensation under the Act. Violations of such a directive is punishable under Section 269 of IPC (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of a disease) to destain individuals and make arrests’’. He added that the relief flights being operated by AI are ``commercial charter flights, not emergency rescue flights or essential service. So who has given exemptions to break the lockdown which has been enforced under NDMA Act’’.

The AI ED (ops) had, in a mail on March 23, stated that “all cockpit/cabin crew after operating any international flight shall be self-quarantined for 14 days”. The next day, AI executive director (medical) sent a letter on guidelines pertaining to home quarantine in order to prevent transmission of the virus. Basing its decision on guidelines issued by ICMR, health ministry, AIIMS, the AI medical director’s letter said that “all asymptomatic individuals who have undertaken international travel in the last 14 days should stay in home quarantine for 14 days.”
An AI commander said that the airline recently terminated the contracts of its retired pilots who are over the age of 58. Till now, pilots could fly with AI till the age of 65. “But with impact of coronavirus on flight operations, AI doesn’t need as many pilots, so these pilots have been let go. So now it needs pilots now to operate cargo flights and relief flights, flying foreigners to their home countries, as these are now the new sources of revenue till the situation changes.”
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