377 aircraft with repetitive defects identified in Indian airlines: Govt

As many as 377 aircraft operated by various scheduled airlines have been identified by the Centre as having recurring defects since January last year until February 3, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday (February 3).

Airline-wise data on repetitive defects

According to the data shared by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, 405 aircraft belonging to IndiGo were analysed for repetitive defects, and 148 were identified as having repetitive defects, as of February 3 this year.

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The data showed that of the 166 Air India aircraft analysed, 137 were identified as having repetitive defects, while 54 Air India Express aircraft were identified as having repetitive defects out of the 101 aircraft analysed.

Also, of the 43 aircraft of SpiceJet that were analysed for repetitive defects, 16 planes were identified for repetitive defects, and a total of 14 Akasa Air aircraft were identified for repetitive defects out of the 32 aircraft analysed, as per data.

DGCA inspections and surveillance

At the same time, aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation also conducted 3,890 surveillance inspections, 56 regulatory audits, 84 surveillance of foreign aircraft (SOFA) and 492 ramp checks as part of its planned surveillance activities last year, besides carrying out 874 spot checks and 550 night surveillance as part of the unplanned surveillance activities during the previous year, Mohol said.

Also Read: Delhi HC questions DGCA over indefinite pilot duty time relaxation

In response to another question, the minister said that in 2022, DGCA had 637 sanctioned technical posts and added that in order to address the shortage of manpower in future, the restructuring has been done and the number of sanctioned technical posts has been increased to 1,063.

Air India Dreamliner fuel switch issue

Earlier on Tuesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that no abnormal engine parameters were detected during the engine start of an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner after a reported issue with a fuel control switch was physically checked by the crew in London.

The aircraft, operating flight AI132 to Bengaluru with over 200 passengers on board, had faced the issue during engine start at London Heathrow on February 1. The aviation regulator said the fuel control switch of the left engine did not latch in the ‘RUN’ position on two attempts, but locked correctly on the third. A physical verification was then carried out before departure.

(With agency inputs)