A pilot working with Air Asia airlines, a leading aviation company, was suspended after he took up several problems with the airlines’ over its HR policies and the prevalent safety lapses.
The pilot, Gaurav Taneja, who was also a popular YouTuber had shared a few revealing details about the company. Taneja’s suspension led to a #BoycottAirAsia trend with over 22,000 tweets at the time of publishing. The company has not come out with an official statement on the issue.
In his Youtube video, he raised objections against the HR aspects of the company, recalling the time when he was asked to report into work despite being unwell. “If you’re not feeling a 100% and still fly a plane endangering the lives of those on board, it’s almost as good as committing murder.”, Gaurav said.
He took the leave anyway, and decided to raise this issue as a written complaint to the company. In the company’s reply, he was called out for his lifestyle problems, he even received a show-cause notice from Air Asia for taking leave, which apparently caused the company a financial hit.
The company tried to frame him in many “admin” related accusations for no other reason other than him standing up to the company. He called into question Air asia’s integrity in questioning his medical condition and the overall safety dynamics that have been taking place at the airlines.
“Pilots go through such rigorous testing and training to be able to make sound decisions that place the safety of passengers before profit,” he added.
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More worrying are the facts that Taneja shared of how the airline has constantly compromised on various safety protocols in a bid to continue flying during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also called out on a specific flight which had violated quite a few DGCA safety norms.
“The way things are, I cannot guarantee passenger safety in my flights. And if something goes wrong, it’s my neck – not the airlines’ – that will be on the line. I’ll be grounded without an enquiry. My license will be revoked,” the pilot said.
Gaurav is a prolific Youtuber who goes by the name ‘Flying Beast’ on the platform, with almost 3mn subscribers. In a recently uploaded video, he had touched upon possibilities of an imminent job loss amidst the financial crisis faced by the aviation industry amidst the ongoing pandemic.