Minister of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia)
(a) to (e) A statement is laid on the table of the House.
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Statement referred in reply to Part (a) to (e) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 178 regarding "Safety of Air Travel" to be answered on 28.07.2022.;
(a) During operations, an aircraft may experience technical snags due to malfunctioning of components/ equipment fitted on the aircraft which require rectification action by the airlines for continued safe, efficient and reliable air transport service. These technical snags are reported by the flight crew on receiving an aural/ visual warning in the cockpit or an indication of an inoperative/ faulty system or while experiencing difficulty in handling/ operating the aircraft. A total of 478 technical snags were reported in last one year w.e.f. 1st July 2021 - 30th June 2022. ;
(b) 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 manufacturers'' guidelines and all snags reported on the aircraft are rectified before the aircraft is released for flight. Further, CAR 145 lays down the requirements for the approval of maintenance organisation which mandates the organisation to have required manpower, equipment and literature commensurate to the type and fleet to be maintained. Under the system, airline operators are required to ensure that the aircraft are maintained in a continuous state of airworthiness and all defects are rectified.;
(c) & (d) DGCA has a laid down mechanism of conducting surveillance, spot checks, night surveillance etc. of the airlines/ organizations and personnel to ensure safety of passenger and aircraft. The observations/ findings made during surveillance, spot checks and night surveillance are provided to the airline for taking corrective action. The action taken to correct the observations are reviewed and the findings are closed or in case of violations, DGCA takes enforcement action in accordance with laid down procedures which may consist of warning, suspension, cancellation including imposition of financial penalty to the personnel involved/ airline. A total of 177 surveillance, 497 spot checks and 169 night surveillance have been carried out by DGCA on engineering and maintenance aspects of scheduled operators during the last one year (1st July 2021 - 30th June 2022).
(e) Based on the violations found during surveillance, spot checks, night surveillance carried out during 2021-22, enforcement action has been taken by DGCA against responsible personnel / post holder of the airline operator in 21 instances of violations, which inter-alia includes suspension of license, withdrawal of post holder (approved personnel to the airlines involved in the maintenance of aircraft), issuance of warning letters, etc.
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