Air India, IndiGo, and other airlines face scrutiny as DGCA audits find 263 safety lapses. What it means for flyers

Mint

4 days ago

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found 263 lapses in aviation safety norms during its 23 audits of eight domestic airlines in the past year, PTI quoted a DGCA statement as saying on Wednesday.
However, the DGCA noted that a higher number of audit findings or lapses for airlines with extensive operations is "entirely normal". The regulator flagged increased lapses during audits of Air India.
According to the DGCA, in the past one year, a total of 93 audit findings involved Tata Group-owned Air India (along with now-merged Vistara) and Air India Express. These include 19 level-1 violations which are considered critical safety risks and require immediate corrective action by the airline.
The DGCA also came across as many as 100 violations and observations related to Air India's training, crew's rest and duty period norms, and airfield qualification, PTI quoted the sources as saying on Tuesday. They added that the DGCA mentioned these violations in 51 audit findings of Air India.
The aviation regulator stated that it conducts audits to enhance the safety of operations and ensure compliance, and continuous improvement across all facets of airline operations.
"It should be emphasised that, for airlines with extensive operations and large fleet sizes, a higher number of audit findings is entirely normal," PTI reported, quoting the DGCA statement.
"The quantum and scale of their activities mean that such observations reflect the breadth and depth of their operations rather than any unusual lapse," the statement added.
The DGCA data showed 23 audit findings with IndiGo, 14 with SpiceJet, 57 with Alliance Air, 35 with Quick Jet, 41 with Ghodawat Star and 17 with erstwhile Vistara.
The DGCA findings that are considered critical risks and require immediate corrective action are categorised as level-1, while level-2 lapses include non-compliance.
Aviation regulators across the globe routinely encounter similar patterns with major carriers due to the diversity and intensity of their undertakings.
Following this, the regulators formally notify the relevant airlines, and they are required to submit timely compliance and corrective action-taken reports.
"The DGCA reassures the travelling public that these processes are robust and that the presence of such findings is a testament to active regulatory oversight," the statement said.