Qantas pilots lay bare mental toll from not flying

Qantas international pilots have revealed the significant toll extended periods without flying is taking on their mental health while other parts of the airline group expands domestic services. The anguish facing long-haul pilots who have been stood down has been aired internally on the airline’s online communication system Yammer, in response to Qantas executive John Gissing last month seeking to “start a conversation” about Men’s Health Week. In their comments, the pilots laid bare the impact a “seemingly endless stand-down” is having on their lives, warning that the “worry that breeds from uncertainty is palpable”. One pilot, who was close to 500 days without flying, said he rarely slept through the night, and was usually awake between 2am and 4am. He warned the mental effects will be significant, and international crew felt abandoned as other parts of Qantas expanded while they faced a “seemingly endless” period of stand-down. Qantas has added 45 routes to its domestic network since the start of the pandemic as the airline group seeks to gain market share vacated by its trimmed-down rival Virgin Australia. But most of Qantas’s international flying has been halted due to the government’s COVID-19 restrictions.<br/>