 "How IndiGo flights chaos is affecting Indian cricket, forcing BCCI to step in with emergency measures – Firstpost")
Among the thousands of passengers stranded at airports across the country due to mass cancellation of flights by private airline IndiGo are cricketers, with the BCCI’s domestic season currently in full swing at various age levels.
The ongoing crisis involving IndiGo has left thousands of passengers stranded across the country, including cricketers who are competing in various events in the ongoing domestic season.
The private Indian airline has cancelled thousands of flights in the festive season due to a sudden shortage of pilots and other crew members, having failed to plan for new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms that had been put forth by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
And caught in the crossfire of the havoc wreaked by IndiGo’s inability to plan for the new rest and duty rules for its airline staff are cricketers currently competing in various domestic events, including the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy and U-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy.
According to a report on Sportstar, some state associations have been forced to make alternate travel arrangements in the wake of the IndiGo crisis, with Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association and Cricket Association of Bengal sending their youth teams to their respective destinations by road.
The report states that the Bengal U-19 team has left for Kalyani in West Bengal, where they were scheduled to face Goa from Monday, in a bus from Chhattisgarh’s Bhilai in the early hours of Saturday. The J&K state association has had to make a similar arrangement for its U-16 team, which left for Surat from New Delhi in a luxury bus on Friday.
BCCI steps in, offers ‘buffer’ for travel delays
The BCCI, meanwhile, has offered the option of postponing games if teams arrive late keeping in mind the aviation chaos that’s currently in play all over of the country. BCCI president Mithun Manhas added that the governing body for the sport in India is in touch with the state associations regarding the travel situation.
“The health and the safety of the players and the support staff are of utmost importance to us, and keeping the gravity of the situation in mind, we have decided to keep a buffer for the teams. Once they reach their respective destinations, the match officials will talk to them and then decide on the future course of action,” Manhas was quoted in the report as saying.
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