Vistara Slammed After Denying Pilot's Emergency Leave Amid Mother's Illness

In response to the backlash, Vistara has issued a statement, which is drawing even more criticism online.

Vistara, a Tata-owned airline, found itself at the center of a social media storm when it was brought to light, that the airline refused to grant emergency leave to a pilot dealing with his mother's illness. Outraged netizens criticized the airline for its perceived insensitivity to the pilot's circumstances.

Screenshots of an email circulating on social media revealed that the pilot had requested emergency leave to accompany his mother for a medical check-up.

However, the airline declined his request, citing operational constraints and suggested alternatives such as rescheduling the medical appointment or seeking help from relatives.

Acclaimed journalist-activist Deepika Narayan Bharadwaj shared the screenshot on X (formerly Twitter), identifying the airline as Vistara and expressing her concern over the airline's response.

Take a look:

This is really disturbing @airvistara

Illness doesn't come with announcements. He's a son only wanting to care for his mother. The reason given by you for cancellation of his leave is inappropriate.

We expect better from TATA GROUP

Also, hope you don't penalise the pilot pic.twitter.com/GkncEYgTq5

— Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (@DeepikaBhardwaj) October 10, 2023

This incident sparked strong criticism on social media, with users branding it as an example of a company lacking empathy for its employees' personal circumstances and health emergencies.

In response to the backlash, Vistara issued a statement, clarifying that the pilot's leave request was for a non-emergency situation and did not qualify as emergency leave. They further stated that they extend full support to employees during 'genuine' emergencies.

As per reports, the Vistara spokesperson said, "We have come across a screenshot of one particular email, a response to one of our pilots’ request for leaves, being shared online with little context of the entire discussion. We would like to clarify that the requested leaves were for a duration of three days in the future (submitted 8 days prior to the appointment) for medical check-ups of the pilot’s mother, which do not qualify as ‘Emergency Leaves’”.

They added, “Hence, the leaves were denied and alternates were offered like rescheduling the medical check-up or exploring flexibility in the pilot’s roster. As a people friendly organisation, we never deny leaves for emergencies and in fact, extend all possible support to employees in such situations".

The incident, coupled with Vistara's response, drew strong ire from many individuals on social media. Check how they're reacting here: