Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet reports over 350 technical snags in a year: VK Singh

The Indian aviation sector has been going through a turbulent time as various airlines have been reporting multiple technical snags and were forced to make emergency landings. In the recent past Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet reported around 184, 98, and 77 technical snag incidents during the one year until June 30. 

Meanwhile, Go First, Vistara, and AirAsia India reported 50, 40, and 14 incidents due to technical snags in the aforementioned period, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said in his written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

While the government-run airline Alliance Air reported five incidents, Air India Express had 10 incidents in one year, he stated. The Tata Group took control of Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express on January 27 after successfully winning the bid for the airline on October 8 last year.

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“Overall, a total of 478 incidents of technical snags were reported in the last one year between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022," Singh noted. "An aircraft may experience technical snags due to malfunctioning components or equipment fitted on the aircraft," he further said.

These technical snags are reported by the flight crew on receiving an aural or visual warning in the cockpit or when there is an indication of an inoperative or faulty system or while experiencing difficulty in handling or operating the aircraft, he noted. Currently, SpiceJet is operating not more than 50 percent of its flights as per the orders of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The regulator had in July imposed the curb on the airline's flights for eight weeks as its planes were involved in at least eight incidents of technical malfunction in the June 19-July 5. 

(With inputs from PTI)