A Crisis Foretold: Why Goa’s Air Travel Chaos Exposes a Failure of Regulation

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“The DGCA’s explanation that crew duty limitations triggered cancellations only underscores the lack of foresight. FDTL norms exist to protect pilots and passengers. Their implementation was phased and well-signalled. If an airline fails to prepare adequate staffing for a known regulatory requirement, the regulator’s job is not to accept excuses but to enforce compliance. Instead, enforcement was soft, and oversight seemed largely documentary. When rules on rest periods were strengthened, DGCA should have anticipated staffing shortages and required mandatory corrective plans. That never happened.

The government’s

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