‘No Vaccine, May Have Killed My Husband’: Air India Pilot’s Wife

‘In hindsight, we feel, maybe vaccine could’ve helped him,’ said Air India Pilot’s wife.

Captain Sandeep Rana and Captain GPS Gill with their family.

(Image: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

“My husband was not vaccinated. The biggest problem was that pilots were never considered as frontline workers by the government when it came to giving COVID vaccine. I don’t know where the flaw was, but families like ours suffered.”

Shalu Rana, wife of Captain Sandeep Rana

Shalu Rana, wife of Air India Pilot, Captain Sandeep Rana, is still trying to come to terms with the death of her husband, who died due to COVID-19 on 13 May 2021.

Captain Rana is one of five Air India Pilots who lost their lives due to COVID in the month of May. He flew the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and had been operating mostly Vande Bharat flights and cargo flights since May 2020.

In an aviation career of 35 years, he had worked at Air India for 32 years. He had trained many captains and first officers during his time.

Captain Rana, his wife Shalu Rana and two sons Rishab and Robin.

(Image courtesy: Rishab Rana)

“He was very committed to his work. I used to often tell him jokingly that ‘your first wife is Airlines and I am the second wife’. Many a times it had also happened that someone reported sick in office at the last moment and he was asked to fly in his colleague’s place. I remember, we were in the middle of some work in the market and he would say let’s go home, I have to go on duty.”

Shalu Rana, wife of Captain Sandeep Rana

Shalu never stopped her husband from flying during the pandemic as she knew that he had to do his duty. Their sons, Rishab and Robin, are also pilots in private Airlines.

Captain Rana’s last flight was on 18 April between Amritsar-Dubai-Delhi. He returned home on the morning of 19 April and started complaining of fever. He and his wife tested COVID-19 positive on 20 April. A week later both were admitted in hospital.

Captain Rana and his family.

(Image courtesy: Rishab Rana)

“We luckily got beds in the same hospital and in the same room. We took care of each other. But gradually he started showing serious illness and was shifted to the ICU. I got discharged after a week.”

Shalu Rana, wife of Captain Sandeep Rana

Shalu managed to get her first vaccine dose on 13 April, just a few days before she contracted COVID. But Captain Rana had not even get one dose of vaccine.

“He wanted to take the vaccine. He said that he would get it after coming back from the Dubai flight. But that could not happen as he got COVID.”

Shalu Rana, wife of Captain Sandeep Rana

Captain GPS Gill and Captain Bhavna Gill.

(Image courtesy: Captain Bhavna Gill)

'In Hindsight, Maybe Vaccine Could've Helped Him'

Captain Rana was an active person and never had any health issues. As per the protocol, every pilot has to get a full body check-up done every six months. He had got it done in March 2021, and all his reports were as per the required parameters.

“When I asked doctors, when I was admitted in the hospital, about why I showed mild symptoms and my husband is admitted in the ICU. Doctors said maybe because of the vaccine I got mild COVID symptoms.”

Shalu Rana, wife of Captain Sandeep Rana

The Indian Pilots’ Guild wrote multiple letters in April 2021 to the Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and to the Chairman and Managing Director of Air India to consider pilots as frontline workers and start vaccinating them. But the vaccine drive for pilots started only on 15 May.

Air India Pilot Captain GPS Gill died due to COVID-19 on 14 May, a day after Captain Rana’s death. He was also a Boeing 787 Dreamliner pilot and was part of the Vande Bharat missions. He is survived by his mother, two sisters, two daughters, and his wife, who is also an Air India pilot - Captain Bhavna Kaul.

“My husband went to take the vaccination twice in the camp (in April) which was set up by Air India for 45+ employees. But he was called back to operate Vande Bharat flights. In hindsight, we all feel that vaccination could have helped him.”

Bhavna Gill, wife of Captain GPS Gill

'Am Fearful to Fly'

Captain Gill was 47 years-old and his last flight was to London. He, his wife and parents, all contracted COVID-19. Bhavna started recovering from the fourth day onwards but Captain Gill’s health kept deteriorating. Both Captain Gill and his father got hospitalised.

“Initially, I could not find a hospital bed but my Air India colleagues helped me in getting a bed in a hospital and medicines,” said Bhavna.

In March 2020, the Air India management announced Rs 10 Lakh as compensation in the case of COVID-19 related deaths. The Quint has reported earlier that the none of the standard insurances provided by Air India will cover COVID-19 death.

“No amount of money can bring him back. He was a frontline worker and more sincere than me. I will be very saddened if my company where I am working feels that 10 lakh compensation is enough for someone’s life. I am hopeful that Air India, as it has always, will take care of me and my family.

Bhavna Gill, wife of Captain GPS Gill

After losing her husband, Bhavna is now worried about her own safety.

“I am fearful for myself as well. I have to continue my pilot’s job as I have two young daughters to look after. I cannot reinvent myself at this age for another job. I don’t have the option to work from home.”

Bhavna Gill, wife of Captain GPS Gill

Bhavna often asks herself why the variant reacted differently to her and was deadlier for her husband. Captain Gill was a very healthy person and had no co-morbidities, she said.

While Shalu is worried about the safety of her pilot children, at the same time she hopes that other pilot families do not suffer like her and Air India expeditiously starts vaccinating its employees.