Domestic airlines reported 406 instances of aircraft malfunctioning in the first 11 months of this year, according to the government. Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh shared the data in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on December 11.
From January to November 2023, IndiGo reported 233 instances of aircraft malfunctioning, while SpiceJet reported 44 such cases.
Air India reported 52 instances of malfunctioning of aircraft, followed by the now-grounded Go First (22), Akasa Air (20), AirAsia (India) Ltd (15), Vistara (13), Fly Big (5) and BlueDart Aviation (2).
In 2022, these airlines had reported 542 instances of malfunctioning of aircraft.
“Safety and security is the priority of our ministry. For security, our institute BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) keeps a keen watch on all airports and for safety DGCA issues CAR (Civil Aviation Rule) so that the safety of the passengers is kept in mind. Whenever any airline or airport is found guilty, a penalty is imposed on them by the ministry,’ the minister said speaking in Hindi.
“Technical snags in aircraft are caused due to improper function/malfunction of components/accessories fitted on the aircraft,” the minister said. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has laid down regulations under Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), which requires that the aircraft is maintained in accordance with the manufacturer and DGCA guidelines, and all snags reported on the aircraft are rectified before it is released for flight, he added.
In a separate written reply, Singh said there was no shortage of pilots in the country.
“Currently, there are 34 Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) in the country operating at 55 bases, which are imparting flying training to cadets. In the current year 2023 (till October), a total of 1,371 Commercial Pilot Licences (CPLs) have been issued so far and the trend indicates a sharp increase in the number of CPLs issued in comparison to previous years,” the minister noted.
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