Against a background of global pilot shortages, India's IndiGo has had to cancel dozens of flights each day for the next two months because it can't man the cockpits.

Pilots at the carrier exhausted their annual flying hours limits earlier than expected, which prompted the extreme measure.

 

The airline says it will cancel 30 flights a day until the end of February, with the cancellations due to continue in March.

 

India will need about 17,000 new pilots in the next 10 years, part of the 250,000 or so pilots expected to be needed in Asia over the next two decades.

 

Indigo has added 19 new aircraft to its fleet in the past few months and is expected to add at least 40 more by March 31, 2020.