PIL in Bombay HC seeking compensation for pilots who died to Covid-19 during the line of duty

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) is seeking court’s intervention to direct the government to frame a comprehensive insurance policy for pilots as well as ‘Air Transportation Workers’.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL), filed in the Bombay High Court is also seeking compensation of Rs 10 crore for those pilots who have lost their lives to Covid-19.

“The pilots and other crew flying abroad are at the gravest risk of contracting foreign originating viruses which are yet to unknown to the medical fraternity and the immunologists,” argued FIP in its petition.


The association has made the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Maharashtra State Government respondents parties in the PIL.

The petition further argues that “no amount of monetary compensation can possibly act as a replacement for invaluable human life, however, it becomes undeniable that it is the bounden duty and obligation of the Government of India to favourably look at sufficiently securing the future of the families of such pilots, who are responding wholeheartedly to a national call of duty, risking their personal safety, flying across the globe and in the bargain dealing with the deadliest pathogens ever known to mankind.”

The government has informed the parliament so far that a sixth of the staff of Air India, has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. The petition says a total of 1,995 Air India personnel, including the crew, were deployed on Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) were tested positive with the Covid-19 virus till February 1. Out of these infected people, some 583 were hospitalized and about 13 pilots have lost their lives due to this virus.

The FIP has sought now the court’s intervention to direct the government to immediately grant a death/ permanent medical unfitness compensation under any insurance or other such scheme to the pilots involved in Vande Bharat Mission.