Latest news with #SafetyOversightandRamp
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
DGCA finds safety violations by Turkish Airlines, orders immediate compliance
NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has completed a three-day inspection of Turkish Airlines and found several violations of basic aircraft maintenance procedures and norms related to the handling of dangerous goods. The airline has been ordered to ensure full compliance immediately. Turkish Airlines is a codeshare partner of IndiGo. The latter's refusal to end the partnership despite widespread public demand—due to Turkish Airlines' open support to Pakistan during the Indo-Pak conflict—drew sharp criticism. The Centre eventually allowed an extension of the contract by only three months beyond its May 31 deadline, instead of the six months that was requested. An official release from the Civil Aviation Ministry on Wednesday said the DGCA conducted a Safety Oversight and Ramp (SOFA/RAMP) inspection of Turkish Airlines' passenger and cargo flights at Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru between May 29 and June 2. The inspection was carried out under Article 16 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). According to the DGCA, one of the key findings was that aircraft maintenance after arrival at airports was being done by a technician instead of an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME), as required by the rules. This was because an AME was not available. Airworks is the authorised engineering service provider for Turkish Airlines. At Delhi airport, the DGCA inspected Turkish Airlines' cargo. "The cargo contained Dangerous Goods for which permission was required from DGCA for carriage of Explosives to/from over India. This was not found to be attached nor was it mentioned in the Dangerous Goods Declaration mentioned," the release said. At Bengaluru, the marshaller responsible for ground operations did not have proper authorisation or a valid competency card for performing marshalling functions. Another violation noted was the absence of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) between Turkish Airlines and its Ground Handling Agent (GHA). At Hyderabad and Bengaluru, equipment such as ladders, step ladders, trolleys, and Ground Power Units lacked proper accountability and monitoring. Globe Ground India was providing services in these airports without a formal handover from Celebi, the Turkish-based agent whose contract was terminated by the Centre last month. The DGCA has directed Turkish Airlines to address these issues without delay and ensure complete compliance with ICAO standards and recommended practices, along with Indian regulations. "Further follow-up inspections will be conducted as necessary to ensure continuous safety oversight," the release said. The DGCA added that it remains committed to ensuring the safety and regulatory compliance of all foreign operators in Indian airspace. "The inspections were carried out to ensure compliance with both international and national safety regulations," it added.
Mint
4 days ago
- Business
- Mint
DGCA surprise audit finds 4 violations in Turkish Airlines operations, including dangerous goods handling lapses
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) carried out surprise Safety Oversight and Ramp (SOFA/RAMP) inspections of Turkish Airlines' passenger and cargo flights at four major Indian airports — Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru — between 29 May and 2 June 2025. The inspections were conducted under Article 16 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (ICAO) to assess compliance with international safety standards and DGCA regulations. Following the inspections, the DGCA has directed Turkish Airlines to ensure full adherence to ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices as well as Indian civil aviation rules. The regulator warned that follow-up inspections will be conducted to verify ongoing compliance and urged the airline to promptly address the identified shortcomings. Marshaller competency: At Bengaluru airport, the marshaller responsible for ground operations lacked proper authorisation and did not possess a valid competency card for marshalling functions, raising concerns about safe aircraft guidance on the apron. Aircraft maintenance: During the arrival of an aircraft, a licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) was absent, and a technician performed the required arrival procedures instead. M/s Airworks is the authorised engineering service provider for Turkish Airlines. Dangerous goods handling: Cargo was found to contain dangerous goods requiring explicit DGCA permission for carriage of explosives to, from, or over Indian territory. However, the necessary permission documentation was neither attached nor mentioned in the Dangerous Goods Declaration. Ground handling agreement and equipment accountability: No formal Service Level Agreement (SLA) existed between Turkish Airlines and its Ground Handling Agent (GHA) at Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Ground support equipment such as ladders, step ladders, trolleys, and Ground Power Units (GPUs) lacked proper accountability and monitoring. Globe Ground India was providing ground services without a formal handover from the previous provider, Çelebi. The DGCA has instructed Turkish Airlines to rectify these issues immediately to maintain the highest safety standards. Failure to comply could result in regulatory action, including restrictions on operations.
