New Delhi, July 24: Air India reported a slight increase in sick leave taken by its pilots following the tragic crash of flight AI-171 on June 12. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people. 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.

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. Air India Flight AI2744 Skids off Mumbai Airport Runway Amid Heavy Rainfall.

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).

These include easy and quick mental health checks by DGCA-approved medical examiners during regular medical exams. Special training modules to help crew and ATCOs understand and deal with mental health challenges. A Peer Support Programme (PSP) that allows employees to seek help in a safe and supportive manner without fear of punishment. Air India Receives DGCA Notices Over Alleged Breach of Safety Standards Related to Crew Fatigue Management and Training.

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." Lauding the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Naidu said that the agency is "unbiased."

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