Coronavirus: Asia’s grounded pilots spark airline safety fears over lack of flying practice

On September 15, an Indonesian flight carrying 307 passengers and 11 crew to the northern city of Medan momentarily veered off the runway after landing, sparking an investigation by the country’s transport safety regulator. It found the pilot had flown less than three hours in the previous 90 days. The first officer had not flown at all since February 1.The incident underlines an emerging risk from the coronavirus pandemic: pilots are not getting enough opportunity to fly because airlines have…