At least 60 pilots involved in the Vande Bharat Mission to fly back Indians stranded abroad because of the Covid-19 pandemic have tested positive for the disease, Air India’s Executive Pilots Committee said in a letter on Thursday to civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri. The letter, which requested Puri to rescind the national carrier’s decision to revise wages last week, added at least one pilot has lost a family member to Covid-19 and many others have also been infected.
The Centre this month said 5,03,990 Indians stranded in 137 countries have been brought back to the country as part of the repatriation mission since it began in May following the suspension of regular international flights due to the pandemic .
The letter cited salary cuts and compulsory leave without pay and added it could have a potentially disastrous psychological impact and lead to “desperate and extreme acts”.
