Under the influence

Sobering statistics from India give pause for thought

The festive season may be the time for feasting and perhaps enjoying a little more tipple than usual but people still want to fly. It’s a peak time for airlines. So give a thought to the army of cockpit and cabin crew who didn’t get as merry as most of us. Or at least, one hopes so.

No drinking for eight hours before a flight is the general rule. But the latest news out of India gives us all cause for concern. That country’s Civil Aviation Minister Gajapathi Raju has just disclosed as many as 151 pilots and crew members tested positive for alcohol during pre-flight medical examinations in the first ten months of 2016 and action has been taken against them. That was 38 pilots and 113 cabin crew.