DALLAS — According to an Indian government report, Indian airlines experienced 546 technical issues during their operations last year. Many were minor hiccups, but a few were major, necessitating emergency landings and flight cancellations.
As per the Indian govt statement, India’s largest LCC IndiGo (6E) reported 215 technical snags the highest among other carriers. While another LCC Spicejet (SG) and FSC TATA-SIA Vistara (UK) faced 143 and 97 snags respectively.
The TATA grou[-owned carrier, Air India (AI) registered 64 snags while its subsidiaries Air Asia India (I5) [now AIX Connect] witnessed Eight snags. Wadia Group-owned GoFirst (G8) reported seven incidents, while Akasa Air’s (QP) newly launched Boeing 737 MAX experienced six.
Apart from these major scheduled airlines, there were a few regional and cargo carriers that had technical problems in the single digits. This is the second time in a row that Indian carriers have encountered more than 540 technical snags. Earlier in 2021, Indian airlines reported 544 snags.
Statement by Regulatory Minister
When a reporter asked V K Singh, Minister of State for Civil Aviation about the snag are more due to more LCCs in the country, he replied, “No, Technical snags are encountered during the operation of planes. These may be due to inappropriate functioning/malfunctions of systems/equipment/components fitted on the aircraft.”
He further added some technical snags or issues that require action by the flight crew, like turning back to the origin, aborted takeoff, go around, and emergency landing at the nearby aerodrome. The crew always focuses on keeping the occupants safe to avert major accidents or incidents.
V K Singh also said airlines take action to correct the technical snags based on the advice provided by the plane manufacturer before further utilizing the aircraft for their operations.
“The DGCA… ensures that rectification is done by the operators/maintenance organization. It begins enforcement action against organization/personnel in case breaches are found which may contain a warning, suspension, and cancellation besides imposition of monetary penalty” Singh added.
The DGCA is responsible for keeping an eye on airlines and other aviation organizations and regularly performs audits, surveillance, and spot checks. They take appropriate action against offenders if they find anything inappropriate. Recently, the DGCA imposed heavy fines on Air India and Go First due to their non-compliance with certain rules.
Feature Image: SpiceJet VT-MXA Boeing 737-8 MAX. Photo: Alberto Cucini/Airways
