Wednesday, May 05, 2021

Air India says will vaccinate employees by month-end, as pilots body threatens stir

National carrier Air India on Tuesday said it will vaccinate all its employees against COVID-19 by the month-end as a pilots' body demanded inoculation of the flying crew on priority basis citing risk to their lives from the deadly infection.

Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), a union body that represents pilots who fly narrow-body aircraft, in a letter has threatened to stop work if the airline management would not start vaccination camps across India for the flying crew immediately.

The airline said in a statement on Tuesday evening that discussions were already on for the vaccination of all the employees, including the crew. "As the guidelines did not allow vaccination of persons below 45 years of age, Air India could not complete the vaccination," it noted.

Since from May 1, all persons above 18 years of age can be vaccinated, a schedule for vaccination is now being drawn up and it is expected to commence as early as next week and all employees will be vaccinated by the end of this month, it said. "The schedule is also being drawn up keeping in mind that crew who do not have fixed working days," it noted.

India has been badly hit by the second wave of the coronavirus infection as hospitals in several states are reeling under a severe shortage of oxygen, drugs, equipment and beds.

The ICPA has demanded vaccination camps across the country for the flying crew on priority basis citing risk to their lives amid the second wave of the pandemic.

In a letter to Air India director for operations R S Sandhu, the ICPA threatened to stop work if the management fails to come up with such camps. Alleging that many crew have been tested positive for Covid-19 and are struggling to get oxygen cylinders, the ICPA said that the pilots are left to fend for themselves for hospitalization.

05/05/21 PTI/News Minute

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