Half of audited aircraft show recurring defects, Air India tops
What's the story
Government data has revealed that 50% of the aircraft audited across Indian airlines have recurring defects. The data, presented in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, showed that 377 out of 754 aircraft had repetitive snags. Among these, the Air India Group and IndiGo had the highest number of flagged planes. The audit covered six scheduled airlines since January last year.
Defect distribution
IndiGo, Air India Group top the list
IndiGo had the highest number of aircraft reviewed, with 405 planes analyzed till February 3. Out of these, 148 planes were found to have repetitive defects. The Air India Group followed closely, with 191 out of 267 audited aircraft having recurring issues. This is nearly 72% of their fleet that was checked.
Additional findings
SpiceJet, Akasa Air also flagged issues
SpiceJet had 16 out of 43 audited aircraft with recurring defects, while Akasa Air flagged 14 out of 32 reviewed planes. An Air India spokesperson attributed the high number of observations to extensive fleet checks conducted "out of an abundance of caution." A senior executive clarified that most issues were related to lower-priority equipment, such as seats and tray tables, which are not safety-related.
Regulatory measures
DGCA increases surveillance activities
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also stepped up its surveillance activities. The regulator conducted 3,890 inspections, 56 regulatory audits, 84 surveillance of foreign aircraft (SOFA) checks, and 492 ramp inspections as part of planned monitoring last year, India Today reported. To address staffing gaps, the number of sanctioned technical positions at DGCA has been increased from 637 to 1,063 after restructuring efforts.