KUALA LUMPUR: Navigating the blue sky while operating an aircraft surely is the routine most pilots are pining for currently, after almost two years of having their wings ‘clipped’ and seeing the aviation sector grind to a halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
For Air Asia pilot, Safia Anisa Abu Bakar, 24, the freedom of exploring the sky prior to this, with over 80 hours of flights monthly to various destinations, seems to have been snatched away by the invasion of the killer virus, which had killed over one million people globally.
As such, in conjunction with the 64th National Day, Safia hoped that there would be light at the end of the tunnel, and the country would be promptly freed from the clutches of the Covid-19 virus.
“In the past, we could see the attacking enemy physically, but this time we cannot see the enemy.
“This invader is more cruel, killing whoever is negligent, causing suffering among the people who have to stay indoors to avoid being infected.
“Definitely, as a pilot, I crave for the moment when our nation is free of this ‘invasion’.
“I long for the moment when I get up and make preparations early in the morning to be ready for the next flight, as each and every experience is different.
“Sincerely, I am impatient about waiting for the day (to pilot an aircraft again) to come. It is indeed sad to see this pandemic claiming many lives and adversely impacting the people who have to struggle to survive,” she told Bernama.
Recalling the moment when she was forced to hang up her uniform, Safia, who joined the airline in 2017, said she had experienced stress and depression before getting to her feet and working as a barista to feed her family.
“I was able to escape from the negative feelings and thoughts by working as a barista for 10 months and spent priceless time with my family,” she said.
Safia, who is from Shah Alam, was now working as a customer service officer at a company, in order to diversify her working experience.
Adamantly positive in her thinking, she was confident the aviation sector would shine again with the tireless efforts shown by the national frontliners.
Meanwhile, also sharing similar feelings was Air Asia X pilot Malcolm Brian Patrick, 28, who was impatient to fly again with his fellow colleagues.
“We all want to return to our normal routines, like before the pandemic hit, all were free at that time.
“The atmosphere of the month of independence before Covid-19 struck was merry, with additional flights to accommodate the demand of holiday seasons, but such a situation has not occurred for two consecutive years now,” he said.
Deeply concerned with the current situation, Malcolm is now active in helping colleagues impacted emotionally and psychologically by the pandemic, by providing emotional peer support through the Allstar Peer Supporter programme.
He said that since the programme, which was founded in 2014, was remobilised in June last year, nine of his colleagues and himself had acted as trainers to provide emotional support to over 500 colleagues who were retrenched and incomes were affected.
He added that workers from the sector, regardless of whether they were pilots, flight crew or management staff, became a big family.
They were always together to combat the pandemic, although some of them had moved to other sectors to seek sustenance for the time being, he said.
“We have not won this war yet, but we must be strong and united and look after each other.
“Only in this manner and complying with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) can we avoid the spread of Covid-19, which is the important weapon for us to continue to persevere,” he added. – Bernama
