Latest news with #DGCA
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Mumbai-bound Boeing 787 flight makes emergency landing after 7 onboard fall ill due to 'depressurisation': Report
A Mumbai-bound Ethiopian airlines flight reportedly made an emergency landing in the city on Friday after seven people onboard fell ill. The issue started when the plane was flying over the Arabian Sea at a cruising altitude of 33,000 feet.(X/ @flyethiopian) The passengers fell ill after the aircraft – a Boeing 787 Dreamliner – experienced a depressurisation problem mid-air, according to a Times of India report. The issue started when the plane was flying over the Arabian Sea at a cruising altitude of 33,000 feet. The flight then faced a cabin depressurisation issue, following which the pilots made the decision to make a rapid descent to a lower altitude, as per data accessed from Flightradar24. The plane – ET640 – then made an emergency landing early morning at 1.42 am, following which the seven sick passengers were attended to by the airport's medical team. One of them required hospitalisation, TOI quoted a source as saying. HT could not independently verify the details. An official statement from the airline or airport authorities is awaited. Five passengers, crew members fell ill on London-Mumbai flight The incident comes close on the heels of another similar one on June 24, wherein crew members and five passengers on an Air India flight travelling from London to Mumbai fell ill. Passengers on the flight AI 130 began feeling symptoms of food poisoning, including nausea and dizziness. The airline also confirmed the incident, saying five passengers and two crew members onboard had fallen ill. Two of the passengers and crew members continued feeling the symptoms till landing and received medical attention after the aircraft landed. They were later discharged. The reason for the sickness is still under investigation, while an airline official on the condition of anonymity said that it could be due to a gradual decrease in cabin pressure or slow decompression. Air India said that it was looking into the incident, adding that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had been notified about it. The DGCA had, a few days back, conducted surprise surveillance checks at key airports in the country, during which several safety violations came to light. The regulatory authority then ordered the airports and airlines to take corrective measures to resolve the issues within a week's time.
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Parl committee summons civil aviation secy
New Delhi: The Parliament committee on transport, tourism and culture has summoned civil aviation secretary Samir Kumar Sinha to appear before the committee on July 8 to discuss issues regarding safety concerns in the aviation sector, two officials aware of the development said on Friday. Parl committee summons civil aviation secy 'The committee met on June 23 to discuss air congestion and related issues. It was then decided to have a detailed discussion regarding safety concerns in Indian aviation,' one of the officials said. This comes after the Gatwick bound Air India flight, formerly AI 171, on June 12, crashed moments after take- off from Ahmedabad airport, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. While the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the matter, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered additional and mandatory checks to be performed on all B787 aircraft of Air India. 'The civil aviation secretary has been summoned by the committee with an aim to have detailed discussion on various aspects of aviation safety,' another official said. 'Airlines along with the DGCA and AAI (Airports Authority of India) may also be summoned. A decision on this is likely to be taken soon,' the official added. HT reached out to the civil aviation ministry (MoCA) but did not get its response till the time of going to print. Meanwhile, Air India, which has 33 B787 aircraft in its fleet, has completed the mandatory checks (as instructed by the DGCA) on 28 of them. The airline has also been conducting additional checks on their wide-body aircraft and hence is operating with 15% reduced capacity. It is also operating with nearly five percent reduced capacity of narrow-body aircraft. Narrow body aircraft are used for long haul flights (like A320 and B737 aircraft) whereas wide-body aircraft like B787 and B777s are large aircraft which are used to operate Europe and US flights. While the reason behind the cause of the B787 registered as VT ANB, remains unknown, the AAIB has begun analysing its black box in its lab in Delhi. The government, as per rules, needs to submit the final accident report within a year.
NDTV
a day ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Parliamentary Panel To Grill Boeing, Air India Executives On Ahmedabad Crash
New Delhi: The Parliamentary Committee on Transport has summoned Boeing executives, Air India representatives, the Civil Aviation Secretary, and DGCA officials for a discussion on air safety issues related to the tragic Boeing Dreamliner crash within seconds of take-off from the Ahmedabad airport. The meeting is likely to be held in the first week of July. According to sources, "multiple shortcomings" in the aviation sector, with the maintenance of aircraft, are now a matter of huge concern. The committee will also address frequent helicopter accidents that have taken place recently on the Char Dham pilgrim route. Discussion will include the role of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), aircraft maintenance schedules, and the mental fitness of pilots, sources said. The committee's report will likely be tabled in the next session of Parliament. Before this meeting, the committee is scheduled to hold a consultation in Gangtok to review air and road connectivity to the northeastern states, with the focus on developing tourism. The committee members are expected to travel by an Air India flight to get a first-hand assessment of the airline and its operations. The DGCA had ordered the immediate removal of three senior Air India officials, including a divisional vice president, from all responsibilities related to flight crew scheduling and rostering as part of the first punitive action after the Boeing crash. It has also asked the Tata Group-owned airline to initiate internal disciplinary proceedings against the three officials without further delay. Failure to do so would result in severe action, including the possibility of the airline losing its operating licence. Meanwhile, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has begun analysing the black box data recovered from the crash site of Air India Flight AI171. "The black boxes were brought from Ahmedabad to Delhi by IAF aircraft with full security on 24 June 2025. The front black box arrived at the AAIB lab in Delhi with the Director General (DG) of AAIB at 1400 hrs on 24 June 2025," according to an official statement on Thursday. "On the evening of 24 June 2025, the team led by the DG of AAIB, along with technical members from AAIB and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), began the data extraction process. The Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box was safely retrieved, and on 25 June 2025, the memory module was successfully accessed and its data downloaded at the AAIB lab," the statement said.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Parliamentary standing committee to meet on July 8 to discuss aviation safety, civil aviation secretary Sinha to brief panel
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture will meet on July 8 to discuss overall civil aviation safety in the country, with Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha scheduled to brief the panel, according to sources in the know. The meeting comes close on the heels of the deadly crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft in Ahmedabad on June 12, and a series of helicopter accidents in Uttarakhand over the past couple of months. But the meeting is not specific to these accidents, and will be focused on an overall review of safety-related aspects of India's civil aviation ecosystem, The Indian Express has learnt. The parliamentary panel—headed by Rajya Sabha MP and JD(U)'s Working President Sanjay Jha—could ask other aviation sector stakeholders like safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), airlines, and private airport operators to attend the meeting, it is learnt. A decision on who all should be invited for the meeting is likely to be taken in due course. 'The committee's meeting is not about the Air India crash or the helicopter crashes. It is not an investigating agency. Aviation safety is a subject that the committee has taken up regularly in the past as well and the focus of the forthcoming meeting will be on the overall safety scenario in the aviation sector,' said a source. An Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed moments after take-off. All but one of the 242 people on board the ill-fated aircraft perished in the crash. There were a number of casualties on the ground as well. This was the worst aviation disaster for an Indian airline in at least four decades, and the first fatal accident involving the Boeing 787 series of aircraft. The investigation into the fatal crash is being led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is being assisted in the probe by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) given that the aircraft was manufactured by an American company—Boeing—and was designed and manufactured in the US. A UK AAIB team is also going to help with the investigation, and so are Boeing and other major component manufacturers like GE, whose engines powered the aircraft. According to aircraft accident investigation protocol, the probe report should be finalised within a year. Separately, a high-level multi-disciplinary committee headed by the Home Secretary Govind Mohan is also looking into the Ahmedabad air crash from a more holistic point of view to further strengthen the country's aviation safety ecosystem. The committee includes senior officials from the civil aviation ministry, home ministry, Gujarat government, the Indian Air Force, and various other departments and agencies including the Intelligence Bureau, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, and DGCA, among others. It is expected to submit its report within three months. The objective and scope of the government's high-level committee also includes ascertaining the root cause of the crash, including assessment of possible contributory factors like mechanical failure, human error, weather conditions, and regulatory compliance-related issues, among others. It is also tasked with assessing the emergency response of various stakeholders—both Central and State governments—including rescue operations, and the coordination between them. The committee will formulate comprehensive SOPs and suggest the roles of various Central and State government organisations to deal with post-crash incident handling and management. It will also suggest policy changes, operational improvements, and training enhancements required to prevent such accidents in future, and handle the situation in the event of a crash. Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
Economic Times
a day ago
- General
- Economic Times
Bangkok-bound Air India flight 'held back' at Mumbai airport for over 5 hours
Agencies A Bangkok-bound Air India flight from the city was held back for over five hours on June 25, after some hay was found stuck in one of the aircraft's wings, the airline has said. This was immediately attended to, and the aircraft was subsequently cleared for operation, Air India said in a statement. The Tata Group-run airline did not share other key details such as the number of passengers and crew on board, the type of aircraft, the scheduled time of departure and for how long the passengers remained stranded at the Mumbai airport. However, according to flight tracking website the flight AI 2354, operated by an Airbus A320Neo plane, was scheduled to depart from Mumbai at 7.45 am. However, it departed after a delay of over five hours -- around 1 pm. "AI2354 scheduled to operate from Mumbai to Bangkok on 25 June 2025 was held back as some hay was found stuck below the left wing of the operating aircraft," Air India said in a statement on Friday. This was immediately attended to, and the aircraft was subsequently cleared for operation, the airline said, adding that the source of the hay (getting below the wing)could not be identified. It also said as the flight crew came under the regulatory flight duty time limitations, the flight could not depart immediately. The service provider handling the aircraft at Mumbai airport has been instructed to investigate the matter, which has been duly reported to the safety regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Air India said in the statement. The passengers were disembarked and served refreshments, and the flight departed as soon as a fresh set of flight crew reported, the airline added. The incident came days after the DGCA detected multiple violations related to airlines, airports, aircraft maintenance works, and repeated defects in multiple cases during its surveillance at major airports, an exercise carried out in less than two weeks after the June 12 Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. Without disclosing names of the airlines, airports and other entities in relation to the defects, the regulator had on Tuesday said surveillance covered multiple critical areas such as flight operations, airworthiness, ramp safety, Air Traffic Control (ATC), Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) systems, and pre-flight medical evaluations. The surveillance was done last week and the DGCA is stepping up efforts to strength the overall safety oversight of the aviation ecosystem. PTI (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Profits plenty, prices attractive, still PSU stocks languish. Why? Why Sebi must give up veto power over market infra institutions Oil, war, and the Hormuz gambit: Why the 2025 standoff won't mirror the 2022 shock! Second only to L&T, but controversies may weaken this infra powerhouse's growth story Stock Radar: Titan Company bounces back after testing 200-DMA in June; breaks out from 1-month consolidation – what should investors do? Long- or medium-term investing: Invest in ability & balance sheet; 6 large-caps from different sectors, with upside potential of up to 36% Weekly Top Picks: These stocks scored 10 on 10 on Stock Reports Plus These large- and mid-cap stocks can give more than 23% return in 1 year, according to analysts
