News
Qantas long-haul pilots outline mental health toll from work furloughs
July 8th 2021
Qantas Group’s long-haul pilots have described the toll on their mental health from being stood down for extended periods due to COVID-19 in correspondence on the airline's internal communications system, reports Matt O'Sullivan in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. Read More » One pilot, who had been stood down for about 500 days, wrote the financial impact had been significant, but it paled in comparison with the mental hit. Another pilot said the mental health of many stood down employees was at breaking point. "Dealing with no income for a few months let alone more than 12 months and potentially more than two years is a significant challenge for people to manage,” the pilot said. The newspaper said it obtained the messages on the basis the pilots were not named to protect their mental health. Qantas has said it expected to resume international flying at the end of this year. Qantas chief pilot, Dick Tobiano, told the newspaper the airline was providing resources and support for crews who were stood down.
