Domestic Airlines Reported 338 Technical Snags In 2023 So Far: Govt

Domestic airlines in India reported a total of 338 technical issues during the operation of aircraft in till July 2023, the government said on Monday.

According to the government, IndiGo faced a total of 206 technical snags followed by Air India at 49, Go Air at 22, SpiceJet at 21 and Akasa Air at 18.

The minister of state for civil aviation, Gen (Retd) VK Singh informed via a written reply in Rajya sabha that the technical issues in an aircraft may be caused due to the malfunctioning of the components or equipment fitted on the aircraft and require rectification action by the airlines before the aircraft is released for operation.

The highest numbers of technical issues were reported by IndiGo till July 2023 at 206. Regulations require airline operators to report all such occurrences to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

These occurrences may be a result of equipment malfunction, bad weather, etc. Some of the occurrences such as air turn back, aborted takeoff or a go-around are actions taken by the pilot to ensure the safety of operations and are usually taken to avert serious incidents or accidents, according to the minister.

It may be noted that in 2022, a total of 446 such cases were reported by domestic airlines out of which 215 were from IndiGo followed by SpiceJet at 143 and Vistara at 97.

The minister then apprised the House on the corrective measures being taken by the government to check the technical faults as per the regulatory provisions.

It lies with the airline operator to take action on such technical malfunctions. The DGCA has a system of conducting regular surveillance including spot checks and night surveillance to ensure the operators or organizations continue to meet the regulatory provisions.

DGCA may also initiate a special drive of audits, said the minister, adding that this is done in case there is an increase in the occurrence pointing towards the likelihood of non-adherence to procedures.

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