Air crew entering China have faced tests from officials in full PPE during the pandemic. Photo / AP
Air crew entering China have faced tests from officials in full PPE during the pandemic. Photo / AP
A New Zealand pilots’ union says the reopening of China draws a line in the sand for flying through the three-year-old pandemic, which in some places has been “horrendous” for aircrew.
While China pursued its Covid-zero policy, arriving crew were held for hours on the ground, tested by officials infull PPE and then locked in airport hotels.
New Zealand Air Line Pilots’ Association (ALPA) president Andrew Ridling said the pandemic had been tough on crew in most places they flew.
In Perth, pilots “were treated like criminals”, with police escorts to hotels where streets were shut down and crew were warned they would be arrested if they left their rooms.
In Auckland, a quarantine regime was introduced for pilots coming back from some airports and some of their children were excluded from daycare and school sports.
“All the crews and all the pilots had understood the responsibility to New Zealand,” said Ridling. “They needed to ensure that this [Covid-19] was not bought into New Zealand and in ALPA we only ever had one suspected case of someone who needed to be quarantined.”
Ridling is a Dreamliner captain who flew on Air New Zealand’s limited network in the depths of the pandemic. He said it was a surreal experience for those who flew “ghost ships” with export cargo but no passengers to limited destinations, being locked into quarantine rooms with minimal food for layovers lasting several days.
NZ Air Line Pilots Association president Andrew Ridling. Photo / Supplied
“Pilots endured constant testing including endless assessments and nasal swabs in each port, and when returning home to New Zealand.”
The reopening of China, which now requires just mask use in some areas, was a milestone for air travel. “I think we’re now seeing the closure of the pandemic. In all our destinations and routes globally, people are getting back to normal.”
Ridling said the mental health of hundreds of aircrew was strained when they lost their jobs as the pandemic hit three years ago.
“Those who lost their jobs or were furloughed had it happen so quickly and so fast that nobody saw it coming and they had all those changes forced on you. I don’t think we’ve ever dealt with the fallout from that yet.”
The closure of Virgin Australia’s Christchurch base cost 200 pilot jobs and ALPA’s membership had fallen from 2800 before the pandemic hit to about 2300 now.
Many pilots had been rehired, but airlines were struggling to get them back quickly enough.
“Globally, there is going to be a shortage of pilots because of the way it was dealt with, in those foreign ports. But in New Zealand, we introduced furlough and we produced a bank of pilots who were available as soon as the tap was turned on,” said Ridling.
“Almost as quickly as it started, the pandemic ended, with most of us back in the air, in the tower or in the simulator.”
“We’re more resilient and excited about the future of the profession we love. Demand for pilots and other employee groups across aviation, especially internationally, is high.”
That was encouraging for all careers in the airline business.
“While Covid-19 is still with us, the pandemic has forced the airline industry to think differently and work closer together – employees, airlines, government, and the wider industry,” said Ridling.
