Indian Aviation sector 'absolutely safe', no need to panic: DGCA chief

Amidst the rising technical snag incident, aviation watchdog authority DGCA's chief Arun Kumar has said that the aviation sector is 'absolutely safe. He added, saying that there is no reason to panic. According to the head of the aviation authority, the nation's civil aviation space is "completely safe," and all ICAO-mandated procedures are carried out. It is to be noted that recently there have been around 478 technical-snag incidents in the last year.

In light of the recent string of technical difficulties faced by Indian airlines and the DGCA's decision to stop SpiceJet's operations, Mr. Kumar emphasized that there is no reason to fear because none of the incidents that have been published or discussed have the potential to cause chaos.

DGCA chief also said that all of the difficulties encountered are common and affect all airlines and fleet types. There have been 15 technical issues in the last 16 days, including for international operators visiting India, which have been addressed and fixed.

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It was not made public what specific difficulties the international carriers encountered. Mr. Kumar claimed that the difficulties encountered by the overseas operators were comparable to those faced by the Indian carriers. More than a dozen incidents of Indian carriers running into technical difficulties recently became public, particularly in the case of SpiceJet, and the DGCA is closely monitoring the events.

In response to concerns raised by some that the DGCA's action against SpiceJet was insufficient, Mr. Kumar stated, "I am not here to shut down airlines. My role is to take measures to ensure safe and efficient flying".

The DGCA chairman further noted that, in comparison to many other nations, the fleet of Indian carriers is primarily young. "The focus is always on safety and to ensure that any situation is not allowed to worsen."The DGCA's annual surveillance programme incorporates regulatory audits, spot checks, and surveillance as part of its safety monitoring process.

Recently, Jyotiraditya Scindia, the minister of aviation, met with senior members of his ministry and the civil aviation authority to discuss safety issues (DGCA). The minister informed the officials there should be no compromising on the safety of the passengers after receiving a thorough report from them regarding these incidences over the last month.

With inputs from PTI