The Central government informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday, July 24 that many pilots linked to Air India reported sick after AI-171 plane crash on June 12 that killed 260 people. On June 16, a total of 112 pilots across Air India’s fleet reported sick after the tragic plane crash, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said.

The pilots who reported sick included 51 commanders and 61 first officers. The response came to an unstarred question raised by MP Jai Prakash regarding reports of mass sick leave among Air India flight crew after the incident.

Speaking of the mental well-being of the flight crew after the Air India plane crash, the minister said 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 guidelines included easy and quick mental health checks by DGCA-approved medical examiners during regular medical exams and special training modules to help crew and ATCOs understand and deal with mental health challenges.

It also includes a Peer Support Programme (PSP) designed to let employees seek help in a safe, supportive environment—without fear of disciplinary action.

Earlier, on July 21, answering a question about the probe into the AI-171 crash, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu that the decoding of the Black Box had occurred in India for the first time.

Addressing the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister Naidu said, “First set of the probe is done and a preliminary report is out. Earlier, whenever Black Box had slight damage, the black box used to be sent to the manufacturer for decoding. For the first time, the decoding of the Black Box has happened in India.”