Special Correspondent , New Delhi – Indigo’s flight operations remain severely disrupted across the country. Even after eight days, passengers continue to suffer. The assurance of 95% normalcy has yielded little improvement. Behind the chaos lies the DGCA’s new rule mandating adequate rest periods for pilots. Learning from this incident, airlines are now recruiting nearly 14,000 pilots.

On Monday in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Muraleedharan stated that 13,989 pilots have been recruited by six airlines. Among them, Air India and Air India Express have hired 6,350 and 1,592 pilots respectively. Akasa Air has hired 466 pilots and SpiceJet has recruited 385. Government-run Alliance Air has appointed 111 pilots.

Naidu said in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, “We take care of pilots, crew members and passengers. All airlines have been clearly instructed on this matter. Indigo should have ensured proper management. Passengers have faced a terrible situation. We are not taking this lightly. Strict action will be taken. We will set an example for all airlines. If any guidelines are violated, action will follow.”