No more ‘suicidal pilots’! India working on Pilots’ ‘stress factor’

When most frequent flyers tend to ignore the flight safety demonstrations onboard, too much stress on the cabin crew and pilots make those instructions actually essential while boarding a long haul flight. According to a news report by the Economic Times, the pilot who informs you how many metres above ground level you are cruising at, may well be sinking into depression.

The officials at the Ministry of Civil Aviation are now internally debating whether pilots and cabin crew need to be put through regular psychological tests, a ministry official told ET. However, no such checks are mandated as of now.

This comes in the wake of the recent Germwings plane crash into the Alps, where the co-pilot had suffered a bout of depression and made a suicidal move killing 130 passengers. This incident has raised concerns about the mental health of pilots in India too.

As per the ET report, a cocktail of erratic schedules, inadequate sleep, pressure to maintain timelines, irate passengers and being employed by an industry that’s in a flux has put pilots, air traffic controllers and key staffs under severe duress.

"Many in the aviation sector hide their stress since they fear for their job. This needs to be addressed to ensure skies are safe," a senior commander with Jet Airways told the ET on condition of anonymity.

Besides pilots, cabin crew, ground staff and ATC officials are battling psycho-somatic disorders, alcohol and cannabis addiction, insomnia and anxiety, sources in the aviation and medical fraternity said.

Those who are married within the industry are deprived of marital bliss because they often go home only to see their spouses flying out. Requesting anonymity, an air hostess who works with Jet Airways said, "In January, I saw my husband after 20 days and we often meet at airports. Our fleet is expanding and there is shortage of cabin crew which adds to the pressure." She logs in 15 hours, for six days a week.

The 27-year-old air hostess further added, "There is tremendous pressure. A counselor is provided once a month, but who has the time to visit?" Sadly, she suffers from insomnia like many in her team. The financial daily tried to reach out to Jet Airways via an e-mail, but hasn’t yet secured any response.
However, IndiGo Airlines sounds a breather. "Under our employee assistance programme, employees have access to the best of doctors and counselors," said IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh in an email response to the ET. "The objective behind this initiative is not to target anyone but provide assistance and arrange for facilities required by the person concerned," he added.
This pressure is not just faced by the cockpit crews, even the air traffic controller on ground, who instructs a flight to attain height or descent, has to work under same kind of situation.
"A controller cannot settle for 99.9% accuracy; one has to be 100% accurate. We work for six hours a day and get an off after four days of work. Currently, our company (Airports Authority of India) does not provide any facility or conduct any sessions to help employees recover from stress," DS Raghavan, a senior air traffic controller and former president of Guild told the ET.

(Image: India Times)