Pilots Seek Rights to Refuse to Fly to Ebola-Affected Countries
On September 10, the Air France pilots filed an official complaint asking a commitment from the airline’s management that the pilots will be not sent to Ebola-affected West African countries against their will.
The complaint, filed by a representative of the pilot’s union in France, François Hamant, seeks rights for the pilots for refusing to fly to the countries impacted by Ebola virus, without suffering from any kind of disciplinary or financial consequences.
This move has come just weeks after the airline’s cabin crew staff union circulated a petition asking the management to stop flights to the affected countries. It is feared that such moves would make these countries, especially the worst affected ones such as Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, further isolated from the rest of the world and hard-to-reach for international health organizations working for containing and combating the disease.