Air India senior pilot, engineer succumb to Covid
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Air India senior pilot, engineer succumb to Covid
Manju V / TNN / Updated: May 9, 2021, 19:50 IST
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MUMBAI: Air India lost two of its employees, senior commander Capt Amitesh Prasad, who was hospitalised with Covid early this month and Johnson Tirkey, a Kolkata-based aircraft maintenance engineer, both of whom passed away on Sunday morning.
Though Air India pilots and employees worked right through lockdown last year and continued to do so in the following months, operating Vande Bharat Mission flights to bring in Indians stranded in other countries, the staff were not put on the priority list for Covid vaccination. Despite being front line workers, several pilots, cabin crew, engineers and other ground staff are still to get vaccinated for Covid, even as they go about their daily duties at airports.
EXCLUSIVE: 225 pilots Covid positive already but no vaccine or help from Air India: ICPA Representative body of Indian Airlines Limited pilots condemns the national carrier’s behaviour towards its flying staff and threatens to stop work.
As many as 255 Air India pilots were diagnosed with Covid-19 by April 23, 2021, Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) General Secretary T. Praveen Keerthi told Sabrang India on May 5.
Where once 79 pilots were infected with coronavirus on September 4, 2020, more than triple the number have been reported in seven months. Cabin crew members and pilots, who still have not received Covid-19 vaccines, are left to fend for themselves, said Keerthi.
COVID-19: Air India pilots threaten to stop work if airline fails to vaccinate flying crew ANI | Updated: May 04, 2021 14:51 IST
By Ashoke Raj
New Delhi [India], May 4 (ANI): Captain T Praveen Keerthi, General Secretary of the pilots union of national carrier Air India, Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), on Tuesday raised an issue with Air India Director Captain R S Sandhu about their guidelines of COVID-19 vaccination drive across India which excludes pilots.
In a letter to the Air India Director, Keerthi threatened to stop work if the management fails to set up vaccination camps pan India for the flying crew above age of 18 years.
Air India to vaccinate all staff, including flying crew, by May end
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Air India to vaccinate all staff, including flying crew, by May end
Manju V / TNN / Updated: May 4, 2021, 21:08 IST
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MUMBAI: Air India will begin a vaccination drive for its employees early next week and by May end all of its staff, including pilots and cabin crew, will be vaccinated, said Air India in a statement released on Tuesday evening. Early in the day, Air India pilots’ union had threatened to stop work if the airline failed to set up vaccination camps across India so that flying crew both above and below the age of 45 years could get the life-saving shots.
Air India (AI) has said a schedule for vaccinating its employees is being drawn up and all employees will be vaccinated by May-end.
The national carrier issued a statement after its pilots threatened to stop work over lack of management support for employee vaccination. “Air India has already held camps on office premises for vaccination of 45 years and above employees. Since May 1, as all persons 18 years and above can be vaccinated, a schedule for vaccination is now being drawn up and it is expected to commence as early as next week. All employees will be vaccinated by end of this month, that is May 2021. The schedule is also being drawn up keeping in mind that crew who do not have fixed working days,” Air India said.