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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Minister begins monthly meetings with airline heads to boost aviation safety
Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu has held the first of his monthly meetings with the heads of Indian airlines as part of efforts to strengthen aviation safety and keep track of their activities. The monthly evaluations are part of a broader attempt to bring systemic accountability and proactive oversight amid increasing government scrutiny of airline operations, particularly Air India, following a series of safety-related incidents. Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu. (ANI) At least 15 operational issues and serious safety incidents have been reported since the June 12 Air India crash that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad. The incidents include aborted take-offs, emergency returns, runway excursions, and auxiliary power unit fires, raising concerns about the quality of safety and maintenance practices. 'The first such [monthly] meeting was held on management officials, including the chief executive officers (CEOs) of Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air, attended the meeting. ...the minister chaired it,' said an official aware of the matter. A second official said Naidu will preside over these meetings in the first week of every month. 'The present monthly developments to the minister and those related to safety and maintenance,' said a second official. 'This is being done for a robust system needed for the growing Indian aviation sector.' The aviation ministry last month began meetings with Air India's top management, instructing the airline to ensure the highest safety standards while setting a month-long timeline to review its operations. The first such meeting was held on July 23, where maintenance protocols and safety compliance were key points of discussion. The monthly reviews are expected to help restore public confidence in Indian carriers and ensure strict adherence to global safety benchmarks. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the regulator, ramped up its oversight, conducting multiple spot checks. It has issued directives for mandatory inspections of Air India's B787 fleet, and carried out checks at major airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata.
News18
29-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Air Passenger Complaints In India Nearly Match 2024 Total In Just Six Months
Last Updated: Ram Mohan Naidu told the Parliament on Monday that the DGCA has received almost as many complaints in just the first half of 2025 as it did in all of 2024. The Indian aviation sector is under close watch as complaints from passengers and technical glitches within the aircraft are rising fast. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu told the Parliament on Monday that the DGCA has received almost as many complaints in just the first half of 2025 as it did in all of 2024. In a written answer to a question asked by MP Mukul Balkrishna Wasnik, the Minister said that 3,925 passenger complaints were filed with the DGCA from January to June this year. The number of complaints in all of 2024 was 4,016. In previous years, there were 5,513 complaints in 2023, 3,783 in 2022, and 4,131 in 2021. The numbers indicate that the problems faced by passengers have been ongoing for years. Besides passenger complaints, technical issues in aircraft are also a major concern. The Minister's reply in the Parliament noted that as of June 2025, 183 technical defects have been reported, which account for 43% of the 421 glitches found last year. In the past years, 448 defects were found in 2023, 528 in 2022, and 514 in 2021. Over the last five years till June 2025, the DGCA has investigated 2,094 serious issues in the aircraft. 'Serious issues must be reported to the DGCA immediately," he said. 'DGCA has comprehensive and structured civil aviation regulations for safe operation of aircraft and its maintenance. These regulations are continuously updated and aligned with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)/European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards. Post-accident, DGCA enhanced the check and inspection of the critical component of safety assurance in order to identify and rectify immediate systemic issues," the Minister added. His remarks came after the Air India-171 crash shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad, killing 241 on board. view comments First Published: July 29, 2025, 14:29 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
NDTV
28-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
What Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Said In Parliament On Air India Crash, Technical Defects In Aircrafts
Commercial airlines in India have reported a total of 2,094 technical defects between 2021 and June 2025, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday. The year-wise data shows that 514 defects were recorded in 2021, rising slightly to 528 in 2022. The numbers then declined to 448 in 2023, 421 in 2024, and 183 defects in the first half of 2025. The Minister also provided data on passenger complaints received over the last five years. The DGCA received a total of 21,368 complaints from flyers over the same period. The highest number of complaints, 5,513, was registered in 2023. The annual breakdown includes 4,131 complaints in 2021, 3,783 in 2022, 4,016 in 2024, and 3,925 in the first half of 2025. These complaints reflect growing dissatisfaction and potential safety and service lapses in airline operations. This disclosure comes as a response to a starred Question raised by MP Mukul Balkrishna Wasnik in the Rajya Sabha. Mr Naidu informed the House that these defects, which include minor and serious snags, are required to be reported, investigated, and rectified under the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Mr Naidu also outlined, "All aircraft operators shall have a system in their organisation to ensure that all defects, minor or others, whether reported by flight crew or observed by maintenance crew, are recorded and investigated for taking appropriate rectification action. All serious defects shall be intimated immediately by all operators to DGCA." AI171 Crash In response to a query raised about the current steps taken by the government to enforce safety standards, considering the recent AI 171 crash, the minister said that the DGCA has enhanced checks and inspections of critical aircraft components and systems. Safety assurance processes have been intensified to detect and resolve systemic risks. Additionally, Indian regulations are being continuously updated to align with international norms, including those laid out by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). While the decline in reported defects in recent years may reflect improved maintenance practices, the consistently high number of investigations and passenger complaints highlights the need for more robust safety enforcement. As a preventive safety measure, the DGCA, on June 13, a day after the crash, directed additional inspections of all 33 Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft operated by Air India. Of these, 31 aircraft have been checked, with minor issues found in 8 planes, which were cleared after rectification. Two aircraft remain under scheduled maintenance. An official investigation into the probable causes of the incident has been launched by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) under Rule 11 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents & Incidents) Rules, 2017. The DGCA continues its systematic safety oversight through audits, spot checks, ramp inspections and night surveillance. The regulator's Annual Surveillance Plan (ASP) guides routine checks across all aircraft and airport operators. On Helicopter Crashes To a question asked by the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol said, "12 helicopter accidents have taken place in five years and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has tightened safety for Char Dham operations." 12 helicopter accidents have been reported in the last five years, including seven in Uttarakhand, the highest among all states. Four accidents have taken place in Maharashtra and one in Chhattisgarh. The minister said, "DGCA has reinforced safety protocols for helicopter operations, particularly during the Chardham Yatra, with Stricter access control, improved helipad parking and slot management, mandatory pilot training upgrades, enhanced surveillance and safety audits and emphasis on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to prevent future mishaps."
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
AAIB Probe Unbiased: Naidu
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has successfully retrieved data from the black box of the Air India Boeing 787 plane that crashed in Ahmedabad last month, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Monday. He said it was the first instance of successful decoding of a crashed aircraft's black box within the country. Responding to questions in the Rajya Sabha, Naidu assured the members that AAIB's ongoing probe into the air crash was 'transparent, rule-based and unbiased,' and followed international protocols. He added that the final AAIB report on the AI171 accident will include a detailed causal analysis, identify contributing factors, and recommend safety measures. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Finance Leadership Data Science Others Management CXO PGDM healthcare Healthcare others Digital Marketing Degree Project Management Data Analytics Artificial Intelligence Data Science Operations Management Technology MCA MBA Cybersecurity Public Policy Product Management Design Thinking Skills you'll gain: Duration: 9 Months IIM Calcutta SEPO - IIMC CFO India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Fintech & Blockchain India Starts on undefined Get Details 'Until that report is out, we should not draw conclusions. We want to stand with the truth. Whatever the report says, we will act on it,' the minister said. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rules stipulate that the final report should be published within a year of an air crash. He noted that until now, India had been dependent on overseas labs to decode damaged cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) and flight data recorders (FDRs). 'However, for the first time, India took the initiative to decode the black box domestically, even if it appeared damaged externally. This decoding was successfully completed within the country,' he said. On June 12, an Air India 787-8 Dreamliner jet crashed shortly after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on a scheduled flight to London Gatwick. The aircraft lost power on both engines and descended into a residential area, severely affecting the BJ Medical College hostel. Of the 242 people on board, all but one passenger survived. An additional 19 people on the ground were killed. A preliminary report released on July 12 by AAIB found that the crash was caused by dual engine failure due to disengagement of fuel control switches, which regulate the flow of fuel to the engines. The reasons behind the movement of switches from the 'Run' to 'Cutoff' mode is currently under investigation. Industry executives and experts said AAIB's initial report has raised more questions than it answers. While the report confirmed that both engine fuel control switches were moved to the cutoff position shortly after take-off, it offered no explanation for why or how that occurred. Also, insufficient timeline, analysis, or human factor assessment left key details unclear, including who moved the switches, whether it was intentional, accidental, or due to a system failure, said experts, adding that the report's limited scope is triggering speculation and causing uncertainty around one of India's worst aviation disasters. Naidu, the AAIB, and also the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the US have previously criticised the Western media after a series of international reports speculated on the causes of the AI171 crash before the probe was completed. These reports included interpretations of cockpit voice recordings and suggested possible errors or intent, despite the AAIB having only released a preliminary factual report, not a causal analysis. Naidu said a high-level committee led by the home secretary was formed immediately after the crash. The committee has a three-month timeline to recommend improvements in routine safety inspections and pilot training standards, drawing on global best practices. Responding to another question, Naidu informed that 'during the last six months, no adverse trend has been reported in reliability reports of Air India in respect of crashed aircraft'. During this period, a total of nine show cause notices were issued to Air India for five identified safety violations, he said, adding enforcement action has been taken in respect of one violation. Separately, addressing the issue of vacancies in the civil aviation regulator, Naidu said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is currently operating at about 55% of its sanctioned technical capacity. However, he explained that this was because many new posts have been created only recently. 'This year, we plan to recruit 190 more, with selection expected to conclude by end-October,' he said. 'Nonetheless, we're expediting the process and aiming to fill 90% of the vacancies soon.' According to a Rajya Sabha document, reviewed by ET, between 2022 and 2024, 441 posts were created in the DGCA, including 426 technical posts. In 2024, 84 operational posts were created in the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) as part of a restructuring. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) recently added 840 posts for Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs), another Rajya Sabha document showed.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
AAIB probe into Air India Boeing 787 crash is unbiased: Aviation Minister Ram Naidu
Mumbai: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has successfully retrieved data from the black box of the Air India Boeing 787 plane that crashed in Ahmedabad last month, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Monday. He said it was the first instance of successful decoding of a crashed aircraft's black box within the country. Responding to questions in the Rajya Sabha, Naidu assured the members that AAIB's ongoing probe into the air crash was "transparent, rule-based and unbiased," and followed international protocols. He added that the final AAIB report on the AI171 accident will include a detailed causal analysis, identify contributing factors, and recommend safety measures. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category healthcare Digital Marketing Others Operations Management Data Analytics PGDM Degree Management Leadership CXO Cybersecurity Product Management Healthcare Project Management Public Policy Technology Data Science Finance Artificial Intelligence Data Science Design Thinking others MCA MBA Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIM Lucknow CERT-IIML Healthcare Management India Starts on undefined Get Details "Until that report is out, we should not draw conclusions. We want to stand with the truth. Whatever the report says, we will act on it," the minister said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Private Jet - The Prices May Surprise You! Private Jet I Search Ads Learn More Undo Initial Findings Raised More Questions International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules stipulate that the final report should be published within a year of an air crash. Live Events He noted that until now, India had been dependent on overseas labs to decode damaged cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) and flight data recorders (FDRs). 'However, for the first time, India took the initiative to decode the black box domestically, even if it appeared damaged externally. This decoding was successfully completed within the country,' he said. On June 12, an Air India 787-8 Dreamliner jet crashed shortly after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on a scheduled flight to London Gatwick. The aircraft lost power on both engines and descended into a residential area, severely affecting the BJ Medical College hostel. Of the 242 people on board, all but one passenger survived. An additional 19 people on the ground were killed. A preliminary report released on July 12 by AAIB found that the crash was caused by dual engine failure due to disengagement of fuel control switches, which regulate the flow of fuel to the engines. The reasons behind the movement of switches from the 'Run' to 'Cutoff' mode is currently under investigation. Industry executives and experts said AAIB's initial report has raised more questions than it answers. While the report confirmed that both engine fuel control switches were moved to the cutoff position shortly after take-off, it offered no explanation for why or how that occurred. Key details left out Also, insufficient timeline, analysis, or human factor assessment left key details unclear, including who moved the switches, whether it was intentional, accidental, or due to a system failure, said experts, adding that the report's limited scope is triggering speculation and causing uncertainty around one of India's worst aviation disasters. Naidu, the AAIB, and also the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the US have previously criticised the Western media after a series of international reports speculated on the causes of the AI171 crash before the probe was completed. These reports included interpretations of cockpit voice recordings and suggested possible errors or intent, despite the AAIB having only released a preliminary factual report, not a causal analysis. Naidu said a high-level committee led by the home secretary was formed immediately after the crash. The committee has a three-month timeline to recommend improvements in routine safety inspections and pilot training standards, drawing on global best practices.
