Pilots in the Middle East say they’re afraid of being fired or losing pay if they refuse to fly during the shaky ceasefire in the Iran war. Reuters is reporting that airlines are resuming flights that were canceled because of the intense air war but pilots aren’t rushing to bid on them. “There is an underlying fear of retribution,” Capt. Ron Hay, president of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations, told the news service on Thursday. Hay said the atmosphere at some airlines in the regions does not encourage pilots to speak up on matters of safety. “That’s been lacking in the Middle East region for quite some time and it’s just been exacerbated by this conflict,” Hay said. He declined to name those airlines.
Meanwhile, the European Union has extended its ban on operating flights to several countries near Iran until at least April 24. Some Middle East and Indian airlines have announced they are resuming flights to places like the UAE and Qatar using dedicated flight corridors established with regulators in the region. The International Civil Aviation Organization has said pilots are facing mental health issues that are “safety critical” and that “personnel engaged in civil aviation operations within or near conflict zones can experience higher levels of stress, anxiety and fatigue—both on the ground and in the air.”
