Sinner
While not a pilot myself, my views most certainly are NOT just based on newspaper reports alone. It is as from years of experience being involved in this industry in India having a neutral view of things of what is happening. I am also in a much better postion to comment on the medical side of things than you realise.
Let me again state that these same concerns if true should have brought along a similar response from the other government airline involved here, the pilots again heavily unionised, Indian Airlines with their network also having no less than 25 weekly flights to Singapore and 15 flights to Bangkok as well as a daily flight to KUL. Infact this is same or more than the Air India flights to the same destination? Why are they remaining silent or the very least not come out in support of their bretheren in Air India?
Also let me make it very clear that neither do I belong to the government or Air India nor have any vested interest. But there are limits to which the Indian fare paying passenger should be taken for a ride by a few pilots holding them to ransom!.
Also let me ask one more question? To the best of my knowlege, if the screening in Indian airports is so lousy, why is that no foreign airline has stopped services or even stopped their layovers for their crew in Indian cities?Whether it is Delhi or Bombay or Cochin?or Trivandrum?
And let me tell you , while everybody tells about protection being a fundamental right etc etc, nobody has come up here as far as I can see the extra protective measures other airlines are taking which Air India is not including the Air India pilot Union, IPG? Why not? It only helps their position right? I am sure the Indian media will not have any hesitation in publishing the IPGs views as well (the days of Emergency and Presse Censorship has long past gone as you are aware!). Also do you think, how many countries labour laws will just tolerate pilots just walking away from their flights with no apparent legal notice leaving passengers stranded on their whims and fancies!
Yes in India we can get away with anything and we can blame the management and government for everything!