Vistara Slammed For Denying Emergency Leave to Pilot For Mother's Illness, Airline Responds

Vistara is facing backlash online after it refused to grant an emergency leave to a pilot. According to reports, the pilot wanted to accompany his mother for her medical check-up. Screenshots of the email denying the leave have surfaced on social media. These images sparked widespread outrage and displeasure on social media. Many even criticised the airline for overlooking the needs of their employees.

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“Illness doesn’t come with announcements. He’s a son only wanting to care for his mother. The reason given by you for cancellation of his leave is inappropriate. We expect better from TATA GROUP Also, hope you don’t penalise the pilot,” wrote an ‘X’ user while sharing screenshots.

“We are sorry to hear about your mother’s illness, and understand the importance of being there for her during this time. However, after careful consideration, we regret to inform you that we are unable to grant your request for emergency leave,” read the email. It further stated that the pilot should explore “alternative solutions”, like rescheduling the medical check-up appointment or “seeking support from family and friends to provide assistance during this time.”

Here, have a look for yourself:

The email garnered massive criticism as people felt that the airline was not looking out for its employees. Many people also shared similar experiences.

“I had a manager who gave me the exact same response. I laughed on her face and then applied leaves and also sent a letter to HR. I got my leaves of course. That manager worked for another couple of months and then resigned. These are the most pathetic kind of people,” commented an ‘X’ user. Another person wrote, “Leave should not be denied when required as long as it is within the limits of the employee. Work can always wait. All companies always build

redundancies. We work to live and not the other way round.”

“Reason why I wouldn’t go with Vistara or Indigo or Spicejet or any other airlines. Shameful and disgusting behaviour,” mentioned another user.

Meanwhile, the airlines responded giving a detailed response. The airline stated that the pilot’s leave did not qualify grounds for an emergency leave as it was sought eight days prior to the said appointment.

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In a detailed response, a Vistara spokesperson said, “We have come across a screenshot of one particular email, a response to one of our pilots’ request for leaves, being shared online with little context of the entire discussion. We would like to clarify that the requested leaves were for a duration of three days in the future (submitted 8 days prior to the appointment) for medical check-ups of the pilot’s mother, which do not qualify as ‘Emergency Leaves’. Hence, the leaves were denied and alternates were offered like rescheduling the medical check-up or exploring flexibility in the pilot’s roster.”