Nine crew members, including two pilots, of Air India Express, which handles the bulk of the Vande Bharat mission repatriation flights to Kerala, testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 despite following all protocols and standard operating procedure has put the airline on tenterhooks.
The percentage of the crew infected by the virus is negligible considering the fact that the airline handled 28 flights in Phase I, 38 in Phase II, and 95 in Phase III of the mission. Airline sources say they have been boarding flights after undergoing mandatory medical tests, wearing face shields and personal protective equipment (PPE), and repeating medical tests after the evacuation of expatriates
The airline has found that one of the cabin crew had contracted the virus before reporting for duty at the Kozhikode international airport. With a spurt in cases in the State in the last week, the chances of contracting the virus from outside the aircraft cannot be ruled out. Crew from Delhi and Mumbai were also mobilised for the repatriation flights.
The six-member crew for a flight, including those in the cockpit, is not allowed to disembark from the flight once it reaches the foreign soil. “They are confined to the aircraft during the nine to 10 hours of flight duty time.” They step out only after the flight returns to India.
On the aircraft, there is no service to the flyers and all attempts are made to maintain physical distancing. The PPE worn by the cabin crew are disposed of at the airport terminal on arrival.
The Health Department is assessing whether the crew members erred in taking precautions.
The airline is also hit by the leakage of personal details of those infected and residents denying them permission to occupy their apartments on return from the long-haul flights.
