Latest news with #MinistryofCivilAviation
News18
a day ago
- General
- News18
From Delhi To Bengaluru: Why Are India's Skies Facing A Bird Strike Crisis?
Last Updated: Delhi and Bengaluru airports have recently adopted advanced technologies and real-time deterrent systems to combat the problem. Bird strikes across India's major airports have seen a sharp increase since the pandemic slowdown. According to data from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, nearly 2,800 incidents were recorded between 2020 and June 2025. Delhi tops the list with 695 cases, followed by Mumbai with around 405 and Bengaluru with 343 incidents. Experts say the surge in bird hits is mainly due to increased flight operations after the Covid lull, along with rapid urban and commercial development near airports. Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), for instance, is now the third-busiest in the country, handling over 41 million passengers in 2024–25 alone, as per Money Control. Why Are Bird Strikes Dangerous? Bird strikes usually happen during take-off or landing – critical moments for any flight. Though Bengaluru hasn't seen any major accidents due to bird hits, these events still pose a serious threat to aircraft engines and windshields. The number of such incidents was lowest during the peak Covid years – 309 in 2020 and 354 in 2021. But as flights resumed, so did the risks: 588 cases were reported in 2022 and 709 in 2023. According to Deccan Herald, the figure dipped slightly to 609 in 2024, with 238 incidents already logged by mid-2025. To tackle the issue, airports are following the Wildlife Hazard Management Plan in line with global safety standards. This includes monitoring bird activity in real time and using deterrents like repellents, habitat control, rodent management, and insect control. Public awareness drives on waste disposal near airports are also helping reduce bird attraction zones. As per TOI, Delhi and Bengaluru airports have stepped up their efforts with tech-based solutions and better coordination among teams. These proactive steps aim to keep flights safe as India's skies get busier once again. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Aviation Minister Aims for 90% Recruitment at DGCA to Enhance Safety Standards, ETInfra
Advt Advt NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Civil Aviation is aiming to soon undertake recruitment for 90 per cent of vacancies at India's civil aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in order to ensure a robust aviation safety regulatory regime in the country, said Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu at the floor of the Parliament on to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the number of sanctioned positions in DGCA as on date are 1,644, out of which 823 posts are vacant.'Last year itself, we recruited (for) 103 posts, which in the history of DGCA was the highest number of posts which were recruited. By the end of October, we are going to recruit 190 posts for DGCA.' said Naidu.'Very soon we are in the process of achieving (recruitment) for 90 per cent of these vacancies,' he highlighted that in the last 10 years, the aviation industry has seen significant growth and the government has not been able to keep up with the recruitment needs as aircraft safety inspection and regulation is a niche area and there are a limited number of qualified professionals.'There is a very specific pool of people that we are trying to pick up from and it is a very tough process of picking up the right people because these are going to be the regulators, these are going to be the inspectors, these are going to take care of the safety,' said Naidu.'So the recruitment process is also a very rigorous process and it has been a continuing process and we are putting more pressure so that the timelines for the recruitment also come down,' he need for a strong civil aviation regulatory body with adequate manpower is now seen as an urgency after the tragic accident Air India flight AI-171 on June 12, which led to 260 casualties, including passengers, flight crew and fatalities on the aircraft crashed a few seconds after takeoff from the Ahmedabad International Airport. The preliminary report of the accident highlighted that aberration with the fuel switches in the cockpit was a major factor which led to the accident.
New Indian Express
21-07-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Indian airports lack advanced CAT III landing system
BENGALURU: While global aviation standards have progressed by leaps and bounds, those in India still lag, reflected by its lack of a Category III Instrument Landing System (ILS) ecosystem. In the absence of this global standard that assists one of the most critical phases of flying (landing), Indian aviation remains open to inquiry. ILS is a mechanism that can land aircraft safely with the help of guiding systems that add another layer of safety and precision over visual approach. It is divided into three categories, and each category is further divided into three sub-categories (A, B, C). Each level-up allows a flight crew to land safely in worse visibility, with Category III allowing safe landing with up to zero visibility. Many Indian pilots are not trained for Category III approaches, not only because of a lack of push from carriers, but also due to acute lack of Category III ILS on ground. As per a report published by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on February 8, 2024, 'There are total six airports in India where Runway is certified for CAT III (Low visibility) operations at Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Amritsar, Bengaluru and Kolkata (sic).' The country has 487 operational airports in all. A spokesperson from the KIA, requesting anonymity, said, 'The airports usually do not maintain data about reasons for delay. It only says bad weather, and gives no details about the flight or the pilot.' Capt Anil Rao, General Secretary, Airlines Pilots Association of India, stressed, 'Many airports (like Pune and Bagdogra) are actually military airfields, where civil operations are performed under restrictions. Most of these airfields operate under visual flying conditions. The Airports Authority of India should intervene (to implement Category II-III ILS for low-visibility operations).'Capt CS Randhawa, president, Federation of Indian Pilots, said, 'In India, most airports are Category I. The ground equipment is not compliant in many cases.' He said, 'First, the Airports Authority of India and private players like Adani need to ensure that the basic on-ground equipment is present at airports. Under the Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme, there are a lot of airfields without ILS at all. Most have only Visual Flight Rules (VFR) with no ground aids. You need 5 km of visibility to land.'
Scroll.in
20-07-2025
- General
- Scroll.in
Uttarkashi helicopter crash: Chopper hit overhead cable while trying to land, says report
The helicopter that crashed in Uttarkhand's Uttarkashi district on May 8 struck an overhead fibre cable with its main rotor blade while attempting to land, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said on Saturday, The New Indian Express reported. In its preliminary report, the division of the Ministry of Civil Aviation that investigates such accidents said that the 'aircraft failed to land and subsequently tumbled down the hillside, eventually coming to rest against a tree roughly 250 feet into a gorge'. Six persons, including the pilot, were killed and one injured after the helicopter crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi on May 8. The helicopter, belonging to AeroTrans Services Private Limited, had taken off from a helipad in Dehradun and was heading to the Gangotri Dham of the Char Dham Yatra circuit. The circuit is a Hindu pilgrimage to the four shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, all of which are in Uttarakhand. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, in its report, said that the helicopter lifted off from the Kharsali airpad at 8.11 am and the accident happened at 8.35 am in Gangnani, PTI reported. The helicopter was destroyed in the crash, but there was no fire, it added. The helicopter flew for 20 minutes before descending from its assigned altitude, the report said. 'Initially, the pilot attempted to land on the Uttarkashi-Gangotri Road (NH 34) near Gangnani in Uttarkashi,' the news agency quoted the report as saying. 'During the landing attempt, the helicopter's main rotor blade struck an overhead fibre cable running parallel to the road.' The report said that this caused the aircraft to lose control and plunge into a gorge. The helicopter, which was powered by an engine built by Rolls Royce, was manufactured in 2008. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau also said the United States' National Transportation Safety Board and Canada's Transportation Safety Board have appointed official representatives and technical advisors to assist with the investigation. 'The investigation team is working closely with them to decide the next steps needed to find the exact cause of the crash,' the report said. 'Records obtained from various stakeholders are currently being scrutinised.' The report comes amid mounting safety concerns about such helicopter accidents in the state. On June 15, seven persons died in Rudraprayag district after a helicopter carrying pilgrims taking part in the Char Dham Yatra crashed near the Gaurikund area. This was the fifth helicopter accident in Uttarakhand in about 40 days. In the wake of the accidents, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has formed a high-level committee chaired by Home Secretary Shailesh Bagauli to draft a standard operating procedure for helicopter services in the state.
Mint
19-07-2025
- General
- Mint
Uttarkashi helicopter crash: Chopper hit overhead cable during emergency landing, says AIIB preliminary report
The helicopter that crashed in Uttarkashi on May 8 struck an overhead fibre cable with its main rotor while attempting an emergency landing, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AIIB) has said in its preliminary report. The BELL 407 helicopter began to descend from its assigned altitude around 20 minutes after take off. The pilot tried to make an emergency landing on the Uttarkashi-Gangotri National Highway. However, the aircraft hit the cable running alongside the road, leading to a fatal crash, the AIIB report said. According to a senior Ministry of Civil Aviation official, the helicopter, registered as VT-OXF and operated by Aero Trans Service Private Limited, was chartered from Ahmedabad and carried six passengers and one captain. Visuals from the crash site showed the mangled interior of the chopper. On June 15, another helicopter carrying seven passengers had crashed in Uttarakhand's Gaurikund. The incident took place at 5:20 am when the chopper, with six passengers – five adults and one child – and the pilot, which was going from Shri Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, crashed near Gaurikund. According to the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), the passengers in the helicopter hail from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. (This is a developing story. Please check back for updates)
