Over 100 Air India pilots reported sick four days after the Air India plane crash that killed 241 on board, the civil aviation ministry told the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

The ministry made the revelation in a written response to a query from the BJP MP of Hardoi, Jai Prakash. Prakash sought to know whether Air India had been experiencing mass sick reporting by its flight crew members following the AI-171 crash on June 12.

According to the aviation ministry, there was a “minor” increase in sick leaves by Air India pilots. However, the reply also mentioned that 112 pilots reported sick on a
single day.

“Air India reported a minor increase in sick leaves reported by pilots across all fleets in the aftermath of the AI-171 accident,” said Murlidhar Mohol, minister of state for civil aviation, in a written reply.

“On June 16, a total of 112 pilots reported sick, comprising 51 commanders (Pilot 1) and 61 First Officers (Pilot 2).”

Sources said Air India had a strength of around 3,500 pilots. On an average, around 60-70 pilots are on leave every day because of one reason or the other — including casual, personal or health grounds.

According to sources, many pilots were traumatised after the plane crash that claimed the lives of 12 crew members as well as 229 passengers. Some of them complained of fear, anxiety and distress after the incident. The trauma also triggered medical issues among the flight crew members, the sources said.

Air India services faced various issues, including delays and cancellations, after the fatal accident. From June 12 to June 17, around 83 Air India and Air India Express flights were cancelled because of various reasons, including the closure of airspace in
Iran and ongoing enhanced safety inspections of the Dreamliner fleet.

On June 16, 11 Air India flights were cancelled.