Youtuber pilot Gaurav Taneja, aka "Flying Beast", accuses AirAsia of shocking safety violations

YouTuber and influencer Gaurav Taneja, aka, Flying Beast is a pilot by profession is widely known as his 2.9 million subscribers have seen him vlog his life and lifestyle for years.

He had switched jobs last year and was employed with Air Asia for about a year. Sharing versatile details about his life, he had long given a heads up to his huge online family that all was not well at the professional front.  

The now-suspended pilot and vlogger has revealed in a 27-min long ‘tell-all’ that went live on June 14, about several malpractices against the airlines.

Divulging the details of the communication that he shared with his employer in the aviation industry, that eventually brought the suspension on him, Gaurav claimed that Air Asia has a hostile sick leave policy. Stating the thumb rule that a pilot must not be forced to fly in any given day if he is not 100% ready and fit for the flight, the pilot complains that the aviation company he was flying for would force pilots to work even if they were unwell which in turn meant jeopardising the lives of everyone on the flight.

Back in March, when COVID-19 had not assumed the shape of this huge pandemic, regulations and medical advisories were laid down that had to be followed strictly at all airports. People in transit to and from foreign locations, and those who came in contact with such passengers at the airport, were at a greater risk of getting exposed to the virus. The captain claims to have observed serious negligence in following the DGCA-mandated safety-related guidelines by Air Asia though the contagion was in the offing.

It is like committing murder.

Allegations turn grave as Captain Taneja accuses Air Asia of not complying with safety regulations marked by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Government of India. Siting many technicalities of an aircraft, its fuel usage, machinery, and landing procedures, he reveals that Air Asia was aspiring to up their profits by saving few units of fuel and risking the lives of those on broad.  

Gaurav shares that he had tried to communicate and escalate things to various concerned departments within the organisation, and had put his thoughts forward through its official WhatsApp group as well. Instead of taking his observations into consideration, the higher-ups had instead targeted him for speaking up, that finally resulted in his suspension.

The video posted on Monday morning gained a million views almost immediately and soon #BoycottAirAsia started trending on Twitter which caught the attention of the key stakeholders in the industry.

Taking stock of the situation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India weighed in and their official twitter handle released the following official statement.

Air Asia has not made any official responses to the allegations levelled by the former-employee as yet.

Disclaimer: This article chronicles the events as they happened. Opinions or claims reported above by the concerned parties or individuals involved do not reflect the views of Yahoo India.