New Delhi: Civil Aviation regulator DGCA has initiated enforcement action against Air India after an audit revealed that the inspection of an emergency slide was overdue in an aircraft, Parliament was informed on Monday.
“DGCA immediately grounded the aircraft till the required rectification was carried out. DGCA has initiated enforcement action against Air India and the responsible personnel as per the Enforcement Policy and Procedure Manual of DGCA,” Minister of State (MoS) for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
The Minister’s response came to a question raised by DMK member Tiruchi Siva on whether the government is aware that aircraft operated by Air India, in the weeks preceding the crash of flight AI 171 in June, were allowed to fly with overdue emergency slide inspections, in violation of mandatory safety norms. The MP also wanted to know whether accountability has been fixed on the DGCA for regulatory oversight failure.
The minister said DGCA ensures that airlines comply with all safety and maintenance standards by conducting surveillance, spot checks and night surveillance, among others, of airlines and their 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 the imposition of a financial penalty on the airlines/personnel. DGCA officials are well trained to perform the oversight and enforcement function,” the minister said.
In answer to another question, the minister said 12 accidents involving scheduled registered helicopters have occurred in the last five years, in which 30 people were killed.
While as many as seven of these accidents took place in Uttarakhand, four of them happened in Maharashtra, and one in Chhattisgarh, the minister said.
Murlidhar Mohol told the Rajya Sabha that the DGCA has initiated additional surveillance and safety audits of helicopter operations for the Chardham Yatra.
The aviation regulator has reiterated safety norms for helicopter operations in the country, including Chardham Yatra, focusing on access control, improving parking arrangements, regulating slot allocations, enhancing pilot training, and ensuring strict adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), he added.
(IANS)
