LOCAL airline employees, while eager to resume flying again with the easing of travel restrictions, are concerned about Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) for passengers and themselves.

The union for flight attendants told The Malaysian Insight the authorities have yet to reveal any specific guideline, especially for airports, despite Putrajaya’s announcement on domestic and international borders reopening earlier this week on Monday.

The union added that its members would also face additional burdens as local airlines had retrenched thousands of air crew since the start of the pandemic last year.

Some members were, however, happy with the adjustments after being grounded for a period.

National Union of Flight Attendants (Nufam) president Nasaruddin Ismail said no discussions have been held between the Transport Ministry and the National Aviation Council Committee on the guidelines for reopening.

“I hope the relevant ministries and agencies will hold discussions with airlines immediately as no guidelines have been set yet,” he said.

“Our main concern would be the safety of our crew, from being exposed to Covid-19 when the borders open as well adhering to international guidelines when flying.

“Airlines need the workforce, especially cooperation from aviation unions, to help them get back on their feet,” he said, adding that both the government and airlines need to work together to make it work.

He said it was a long road for airlines to recover.

“If the relevant parties fail to deal with these, then they will face a huge backlash from the workers’ union,” he said.

Ismail also said airlines would most definitely expect a shortage in staff once it resumes as since the onset of the pandemic last year, more than 4,000 airline crew members have been laid off.

He said the union was also worried that the crew may not be prepared for a massive “take-off and landing”.

Nufam also urged airlines to rehire the employees they had to lay off due to the pandemic.

‘Safety first’

Pilot Mohammad Ridhuan Rosli, 30, told The Malaysian Insight that while he was excited to resume flying regularly, he was also concerned that the crew may experience extreme fatigue after not flying for quite some time.

“When borders start opening up and flights begin to return to normal, we pilots are required to suddenly handle a stressful workload after being stagnant for some time,” he said.

“So, my concern would be on the human performance aspects like fatigue, keeping ourselves sharp, and being able to handle the heavy workload after being idle on the ground,” he said.

However, he said, the airline he worked for was aware of this, and was dealing with it by distributing their roster appropriately throughout the month to ensure the crew was not overwhelmed.

“I hope that all airlines are taking necessary steps such as these to not overwhelm their pilots when work starts to return to normal because safety is always the number one priority,” he said.

Mohammad added that he was worried that another breakout would occur during flights if SOP was not obeyed religiously.

A cabin crew member who only wanted to be known as Mabel, 40, echoed Mohammad’s concerns.

She said she was worried about the overall safety of the crew and other employees working in the airport.

She said passengers could potentially bring “souvenirs” along, referring to the coronavirus.

“By the time symptoms start to show, it’s too late to contain them. They would’ve probably been out and about… (they’re) basically a walking time bomb.

“However, the borders have to open as tourism contributes (a lot of) income for some countries, so this will be beyond us,” Mabel said.

On whether she was concerned about the shortage of staff, Mabel said she was not as airlines were spoilt for choice when it came to selecting the right hire for vacant positions.

“There are plenty of retrenched crew… from many airlines, as well as plenty of fresh talent. Ex-crew usually need three weeks or four weeks for a refresher (course), and we are good to go,” she said.

Mabel said her company had laid off more than 1,000 staff from the domestic and international sectors.

As for herself, Mabel said she was happy to fly again after being grounded since January last year due to the movement-control orders (MCOs) and due to medical reasons.

“After working several other jobs, I’m actually quite comfortable being on the ground and having my wings clipped, to be honest. I might someday miss flying, but I will be happy when the time comes when I’m not a cabin crew anymore,” she said.

New job opportunities

Another cabin crew member who only wanted to be known as James Farhan said while he was excited about flying again, he would retain the jobs he had while he was not flying, namely as a real estate agent, fundraiser, Grab driver, and event management and assistant operations manager.

However, James was concerned about a shortage of staff, as his company had laid off more than 800 of their employees.

Another employee who only wanted to be known as Dan, 37, said he was happy with the existing jobs he managed to secure during the MCO and was not looking forward to flying again.

While he was grounded, Dan busied himself with business developments, managing talent as well as by being a helper.

He said flying again would mean a hectic roster and he would not mind considering other opportunities.

“While waiting for the company to rehire, the current staff will have to work overtime for sure, which is good for some, but I don’t prefer it as I’d like my free time,” he said.

Meanwhile, Aliff, a pilot, said he hopes to be called back to work as international borders reopen.

During his time off, Aliff had been working with Lalamove to deliver parcels around the Klang Valley.

“I’ve only been working with Lalamove doing parcel and item deliveries around Klang Valley, which is enough for me to cover my day-to-day expenses without digging too much into my savings. As for doing this full-time, no I don’t think I would.

“Now with international borders reopening, I’m hoping to be called back to work by early next year,” he said. – October 16, 2021.