AI cancels flights as pilots refuse to fly to SARS -affected nations

Jays Jacob
29 April 2003

Kochi: Air India has cancelled several flights as its pilots have refused to fly because of the SARS fear fallout. Two flights from Thiruvananthapuram to Gulf destinations have been cancelled.

The Kochi-Thiruvananthapuram-Dubai flight (AI 987) scheduled to reach Thiruvananthapuram at 10:20 am and leave by 11:30 am did not arrive. The passengers booked on the flight will be flown to Dubai by A-I's AI985/984 Dubai-TVM-Dubai flight scheduled to reach Thiruvananthapuram at 1:35 am on Sunday.

The other flight to be cancelled was the AI 986/995 Dubai-TVM-Abu Dhabi-Muscat flight of A-I, which was scheduled to reach Thiruvananthapuram by 8:30 pm and leave by 9:30 pm. Muscat passengers booked on that flight could travel by the AI 985/984 Dubai-TVM-Dubai flight leaving Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday 1:35 am. They will be airlifted to Muscat by an Oman Air flight.

Passengers booked on for Abu Dhabi by the AI 986/995 flight will be carried on the AI 994/995 Muscat-Abu Dhabi-TVM-Abu Dhabi flight arriving at Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday at 8:30 am and leaving by 9:30 am.

Five flights from Mumbai too cancelled
Five AI flights from Mumbai were cancelled following the pilots' demand for a certificate from the airlines that the accompanying crew had not flown to SARS-affected region for the past 10 days.

AI also decided not to send samples from its two pilots for testing for SARS virus, as they do not fit into the suspected case category.