India’s DGCA finds safety issues after aviation system review

Two teams from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) carried out surveillance during night and early morning hours at major airports, including those in Delhi and Mumbai. The surveillance order was issued on June 19, and the DGCA summarised its findings in a June 24 statement.

The assessment covered a wide range of areas such as flight operations, airworthiness, ramp safety, air traffic control, pre-flight medical evaluations and communication, navigation and surveillance systems. As part of this process, “ground activities and aircraft movements were closely monitored to check the compliance [with] regulatory requirements and to identify weak areas for improvement,” the DGCA said.

In one of the more notable findings, the DGCA observed multiple cases where “reported defects reappeared many times on the aircraft indicating the ineffective monitoring and inadequate rectification action.” However, the DGCA did not reveal details of the incidents, or the airline or aircraft involved.

Maintenance regulations or procedures were not followed correctly in some instances. Airport issues involved runway markings and lighting, ground vehicles and obstruction data.

All of the findings have been communicated to the operators concerned, and they must take corrective actions within seven days, the DGCA said. “This process of comprehensive surveillance will continue in the future to detect hazards in the system,” the agency said.