Over 40% of the 760 national pilots at India’s second largest airline, Jet Airways, have reported sick today causing widespread disruptions of flights and frayed tempers at airports across India. Since 22:00 (10pm) IST last night, a total of 163 captains and 198 first officers, reported sick leading to cancellation or disruption of over 186 flights – 154 domestic and …

Television news media coverage of aircraft incidents and accidents in India is normally incomplete and poor at best, liberally dosed with sensationalism that would make a Bollywood scriptwriter proud. The recent fuel leak and fire incident involving Air India Boeing 747-437 VT-ESM at Mumbai airport brought out the worst of India’s still nascent private television news channels. The real version …