Latest news with #ICAOCoordinatedValidationMission
NDTV
28-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Air India Aircraft Grounded By Aviation Body Due To Overdue Emergency Slide Inspection
New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has grounded an Air India aircraft after discovering a serious lapse during a routine audit -- an overdue inspection of the aircraft's emergency slide system. The aviation regulator took immediate action, barring the aircraft from operation until the required rectification was completed. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Monday, through a written response, told Rajya Sabha, 'During the audit of Air India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has found that the inspection of the emergency slide was overdue. DGCA immediately grounded the aircraft till the required rectification was carried out. DGCA has initiated enforcement action against Air India and its responsible personnel as per the Enforcement Policy and Procedure Manual of DGCA. The minister's response was to DMK member Tiruchi Siva's query on whether Government is aware that aircraft operated by Air India, in the weeks preceding the crash of Flight-171 in June 2025, were allowed to fly with overdue emergency slide inspections, in violation of mandatory safety norms, and if so, the accountability that has been fixed on DGCA for regulatory oversight failure. In response to the question of whether any performance audit of DGCA's enforcement actions over the last five years has been undertaken in cases of repeat violations, the Minister said, 'In 2022, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) carried out the ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) audit of DGCA India. As per the ICAO assessment, the effective implementation score of India is 85.65. On whether DGCA's enforcement mechanisms are resourced to address technical non-compliance in a timely way, Mohol said, "DGCA ensures the compliance by airlines with all safety and maintenance standards through the mechanism of conducting surveillance, spot checks, night surveillance, etc., of the airlines. and its personnel. In case of violation, DGCA takes enforcement action in accordance with procedures prescribed in the Enforcement Policy and Procedure Manual. The enforcement action consists of warning, suspension, and cancellation, including imposition of a financial penalty on the airlines/personnel. DGCA officials are well trained to perform the oversight and enforcement function".
New Indian Express
28-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
DGCA takes action against Air India for delayed emergency slide inspections before Ahmedabad crash
NEW DELHI: Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Monday informed the Rajya Sabha that the aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has allegedly taken enforcement action against Air India for significant delays in inspecting the emergency slides of some of its aircraft prior to the Ahmedabad plane crash. He submitted his written response to a question posed by DMK MP Tiruchi N Siva. The MP wanted to know about the action taken against Air India in connection with the violation of safety norms regarding emergency slides on its aircraft. He also sought to know whether any performance audit of DGCA's enforcement actions had been undertaken in the last five years. Mohol said, 'During the audit of Air India, the DGCA found that the inspection of the emergency slide was overdue. DGCA immediately grounded the aircraft till the required rectification was carried out. It has initiated enforcement action against Air India and the responsible personnel as per the Enforcement Policy and Procedure Manual of DGCA.' The enforcement action consists of warning, suspension, cancellation, including imposition of financial penalty to the airlines/personnel, he added. An Air India source confirmed that action was taken against some of its aircraft due to the delay in carrying out inspection of emergency slides. Mohol further said, 'DGCA officials are well trained to perform the oversight and enforcement function.' The regulator ensures the compliance by airlines with all safety and maintenance standards through the mechanism of conducting surveillance, spot checks, night surveillance, etc., of the airlines and its personnel. Mohol also said that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) carried out the ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) audit of DGCA in 2022 and the regulator was given a score of 85.65 for effective implementation.
