MONTREAL/NEW DELH – Airline pilots who have safety concerns about flying in the Middle East during the Iran war have told a global aviators’ union group they fear blowback ranging from lost pay to being fired if they refuse assignments, its president Ron Hay said.
Pilots from Lebanon to India have voiced “widespread” concerns they could face sanctions if they do not fly in often unpredictable conditions where airspace can close with little notice due to missile or drone strikes, according to the head of the International Federation of Air Line Pilot’ Associations.
“There is an underlying fear of retribution,” Hay told Reuters in his first interview on the matter.
His comments come as some Middle Eastern carriers continue to restore flights even as a two-week ceasefire announced on Tuesday faces challenges from continued attacks.
Hay, a Delta Air Lines captain, said some of the pilots worried about being fired. For others, “they may not lose their job but they (managers) may say, ‘Don’t fly the trip and you don’t get paid for it.'”
He declined to name the airlines involved but said these were examples of how not to run a positive safety culture where pilots were encouraged to speak up.
“That’s been lacking in the Middle East region for quite some time and it’s just been exacerbated by this conflict,” Hay said.
Montreal-based IFALPA has member associations in Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Kuwait and Lebanon, according to its website. It does not list member associations at major Gulf carriers in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which are not unionized.
Middle Eastern carriers have said they prioritise safety. Flights to and from the UAE and Qatar are operating through dedicated corridors set with regulators.
Reuters attempted to contact more than a dozen pilots based in the Gulf to discuss whether they were comfortable flying in the current environment, but all declined to speak even on condition of anonymity or did not respond to queries. (Reuters)
