IndiGo Crisis: A warning of a possible aviation meltdown came months ago

New Delhi: As the IndiGo crisis leaves thousands of passengers stranded across the country, it has emerged that a parliamentary panel had warned by early August that airlines must not be allowed to bypass Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms for pilots.

In a report tabled in Parliament, the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture cautioned that the aviation sector was approaching a “critical inflection point” due to the mismatch between the rapid growth of aircraft fleets and the slower expansion of pilot and air traffic controller (ATC) manpower.