India, Aug. 12 -- At the 42nd ICAO Assembly, two working papers addressed the same problem, the aviation sector's acute shortage of skilled personnel, but arrived at starkly different solutions. The European Union called for enlarging the talent pool and making aviation careers more attractive; India sought a global "Code of Conduct" to coordinate or slow the recruitment of its trained personnel by foreign airlines. Both arguments invoke the Chicago Convention's commitment to the "safe and orderly conduct" of international civil aviation. But only one is compatible with the International Labour Organisation's principles of free movement - and the practical realities of today's workforce.

Protecting Domestic Workforce Stability

India's s...