Over 450 incidents reported in Indian airlines within 1 year: Aviation Ministry

Between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, there were 478 technical snag-related incidents reported in aircraft, raising questions about safety for passengers and fliers. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has conducted 177 surveillances, 497 spot checks, and 169 night surveillances on the engineering and maintenance facets of scheduled operators throughout the course of the previous year (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022).

"During operations, an aircraft may experience technical snags due to malfunctioning of components/equipment fitted on the aircraft which require rectification by the airlines for continued safe, efficient and reliable air transport service. These technical snags are reported by the flight crew on receiving an aural or visual warning in the cockpit or an indication of an inoperative/faulty system or while experiencing difficulty in operating the aircraft," said Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

Based on the violations found during surveillance, spot checks, and night surveillance carried out during 2021-22, enforcement action has been taken by DGCA against responsible personnel of the airline operator in 21 instances of violations, which inter-alia includes suspension of license, withdrawal of post holder (approved personnel to the airlines involved in the maintenance of aircraft), issuance of warning letters, etc.

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The DGCA has laid down regulations under Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) which requires that the aircraft is maintained in accordance with the manufacturers` guidelines and that all snags reported on the aircraft are rectified before the aircraft is released for flight. Further, CAR lays down the requirements for the approval of maintenance organisation which mandates the organisation to have required manpower, equipment, and literature commensurate to the type and fleet to be maintained. Under the system, airline operators are required to ensure that the aircraft are maintained in a continuous state of air-worthiness, and all defects are rectified, said the Minister.

DGCA has a laid down mechanism of conducting surveillance, spot checks, night surveillance, etc. of the airlines/organisations and personnel to ensure the safety of passenger and aircraft. The findings made during surveillance, spot checks, and night surveillance are provided to the airline for taking corrective action. The action taken to correct the observations are reviewed. DGCA takes enforcement action in accordance with laid down procedures, which may consist of warning, suspension, cancellation, including the imposition of financial penalty to the personnel involved/airline, said the reply.

With inputs from IANS