Air India reported a slight increase in sick leave taken by its pilots following the deadly crash of flight AI-171 on June 12, killing 260 people. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said that on June 16, a total of 112 pilots across Air India’s fleet reported sick. This included 51 commanders and 61 first officers.
An unstarred question was raised by MP Jai Prakash regarding reports of mass sick leave among Air India flight crew after the incident.
Responding to concerns about the mental well-being of the flight crew, the Minister said that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had already issued a circular in February 2023 with detailed guidelines on mental health support for flight crews and Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs).
The notices follow voluntary disclosures by the airline over the past 12 months and relate to breaches in ensuring rest periods for cabin crew, training norms, and operational procedures.
The MoS Mohol stated, ‘Quick and effective methods to assess mental health that can easily be performed by the DGCA-empanelled medical examiners during the Class 1/2/3 medical examination are recommended. Introduction of a separate, standalone, and customised training capsule for the flight crew/ATCOs to recognise and manage the adverse effects of mental health conditions is also advised to all airline operators.
The initial investigation report about the Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad was released by AAIB on July 12, 2025, stating that both engines’ failure was the reason behind the crash. The report revealed that fuel cutoff switches moved from “RUN to CUTOFF” one after another.
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