India: Aviation authorities lay off 11 pilots over alcohol limit

In a parliament meeting on Friday, the Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi said that Indian airline authorities took action against 57 pilots over the alcohol limit and terminated licenses of 11 pilots about to fly passenger-carrying jets over the past two years.The rest were hit with varying punishments such as warning letters, fines or a suspension. Authorities brought in a rule last year grounding first-time offenders for three months and stripping the flying license from repeat offenders. Since the rule came into effect in December 2010, no cases have yet been reported.Over the past decade, the Indian aviation safety record has been good but analysts say this episode raises serious questions because there has been a rapid increase in the number of private airlines and passengers.