An A380 pilot spent 189 days in quarantine in 2021
The travel world has been hard hit by Covid-19, creating countless problems for carriers and passengers. At the time [...]
China Southern Airlines
Cathay Pacific
SkyTeam
The travel world has been hit hard by Covid-19, creating countless problems for carriers and passengers. At the same time, however, the past two years have have given us crazy stories. The latest, in chronological order, comes from China, where a pilot has set a record that is incredible. He has become a true master of quarantine.
In this article:
We talk about Ma Jian, pilot of the China Southern Airlines, whose history explains well what it means to do this work at the time of Covid-19. Aboard the Airbus A380s had to deal with the Chinese government's strict rules. The 'zero coronavirus' policy prompted him to Spend 4536 hours in quarantine during 2021. All to comply with containment measures. Mandatory isolations between foreign flights, totaling a total of 189 days spent in a room, unable to leave, Out of 365 total. Far more hours are spent in quarantine of those spent in the air, or 505 in a total of 75 days. His own company, quoting him in some social posts, called him "the quarantine king."
One year in solitary confinement
On the Chinese social networks of the carrier China Southern Airlines, Ma Jian is extolled in no small part. Indeed, his enormous dedication to the good and safety of passengers carried around the world is emphasized. His great spirit of sacrifice is commendable, one reads, considering how heavy the price paid is.
And here is the post published by the carrier on the WeChat platform, "All China Southern Airlines pilots know well how their work ensures stability for the entire international supply chain. They all know that they are a symbol of China's strength at the time of Covid. There are more than 30 A380 pilots who have spent 300 days and more quarantined between 2020 and 2021."
Ma Jian, our 2021 "King of Quarantine" A380 captain, was quarantined for a total of 189 days and 4,536 hours during the year. On duty in 2021, he delivered thousands of passengers and supplies around the world onboard the superjumbo #A380#FlyWithCSAir pic.twitter.com/PxPmfwqnI8
- China Southern Airlines (@CSAIRGlobal) January 14, 2022
Ma Jian's reaction
What is now China's most famous commander, Ma Jian, got to explain what the feelings were like during this long intermittent period spent in quarantine. An experience that was anything but easy when you consider that, on balance, he spent 9 hours in isolation for every single hour in the cockpit. But mostly we are talking about just over half of the year spent in a room, without the possibility of going outside.
He admitted how the loneliness imposed by quarantine periods poses a demanding mental challenge, emphasizing, however, that remaining isolated was far more difficult for other people during the pandemic than it was for airline pilots. "After this period has passed, we can go home to our family," Jian said. As indicated by the carrier's social post, there are many pilots who have exceeded 300 days of isolation in two years. This is hard to believe, considering how the Boeing 777 captains spent an average of 170 days in quarantine Over the course of 2021 alone. More than five months.
Over 400 employees worked in high-risk roles throughout the year on the ground service team for inbound passenger services, guaranteeing 517 international inbound flights, serving almost 100,000 passengers, and transporting almost 120,000 pieces of luggage.#FlyWithCSAir pic.twitter.com/4gQ0vv10b8
- China Southern Airlines (@CSAIRGlobal) January 16, 2022
Flight of pilots
All in an attempt to protect the entire system and avoid numerous cases among employees. An outbreak would bring the company to its knees. That is why this kind of strict approach is also being imitated in Hong Kong. Here, however, the Cathay Pacific Is witnessing something unexpected. Some pilots are stepping back, looking around for job offers. Performing a quarantine period after every single flight is a steep price to pay, and so many are not willing to do it.
