Aviation chief defends the safety record

How safe are the sky of India?

This is a question that many ask after the devastating June Air India Crashwho killed at least 270 people. London-related Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner came less than a minute after flying out of Ahmedabad airport in West India on June 12th.

“The sky of India has always been safe – in the past and even today,” says Ahmed Kiva, the head of the Directorate -General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) – the regulator of Aviation Safety of India – in an interview with the BBC.

“If you look at the global safety indicators such as those Published by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)which monitor the number of accidents per million flights, India is consistently performing better than the average for the world, “he said.

“There were only two years in the period 2010-2024, in which we exceeded the average for global value – these were the years when major accidents occurred.”

In August 2020, Air India Express Flight 1344 crashes After getting out of the rain -soaked track, in a leather, killing 21 people. A decade earlier, in May 2010, Flight 812 from Dubai Exceed the track in the mangalore and immerse yourself in a gorge, leaving 158 dead. June’s Air India crash is the third such accident in the country for 15 years.

Although such major accidents remain rare, the latest titles have caused new concerns. From the flight of Delhi-Ririnagar, which hit heavy turbulence, to increasing reports of supervisory supervision and shortage of training, again focusing questions about aviation safety.

The latter included SpiceJet, the fourth largest and longest time in India, airline.

Economic times The newspaper found that the aviation regulator recently called on the airline management after a series of anxiety findings – not by routine audits, but caused by a British aviation company.

The newspaper reported that it began earlier this year when Spicejet’s De Havillland Q400 turbocharges showed premature failures of the propeller. The airline has signaled from Dowty Propellers, a manufacturer led by aerospace aerospace manufacturer who detects damage to the internal bearings of the propeller.

Each propeller has bearings with two races or rings or songs. In this case, the inner race was damaged. Instead of dealing with the root cause, SpiceJet “is reported that he continues to apply more fat to (the whole) unit instead of dealing with the root cause.” Disappointed with the lack of corrective action, DowTy escalates the problem directly with India’s aviation regulator, the newspaper reports.

DGCA’s own audit in April “revealed even more shortcomings, including the appearance of Snag,” the report said.

G -K Kidwai told the BBC that “the problem with Turboprop propeller has attracted our attention through one of the SpiceJet support organizations.”

“We took it with SpiceJet and made sure that they had taken corrective action. We also realized that the senior management was not fully aware of the situation. We took action against the various publications owners who had to guarantee the observance of the original equipment manufacturer and other provisions.

Just recently, Reuters It reports that the Air India budget carrier in March is to delay the mandatory Airbus A320 engine replacement and fake records to show conformity.

Air India Express told the News Agency that it has acknowledged the DGCA error and has taken “corrective action and preventative measures”.

Mr Kidwai told the BBC that the information in this case came through “self-reporting from the airline”.

“I wouldn’t justify it (gaps). But (at least) we started receiving these reports. This comes from the airline. In this case, the actions were taken.

In May, Indigo’s flight from Delhi to Srinagar faced heavy turbulence and welcomed about 45 minutes after take -off.

The Airbus A321, carrying 222 passengers, is reported to be confronted with extreme vertical air currents – lifts, followed by decreases – which are thrown over the head and caused damage to the nose. The crew declared an emergency and safely landed in Srinagar without injury. The regulator has begun an investigation during which Two pilots were groundedS

D -Kidwai told the BBC that the regulator had already “refined” his instructions for pilots that fly in violent conditions.

For example, if there is a significant cloud cover or some meteorological model that poses a risk – and “we have clearly defined what such a risk is” – now pilots are required to take specific actions, a certain number of nautical miles before reaching it, he said.

“This may include diversion, walking or taking other appropriate steps.”

Since 2020, Indian internal carriers have reported 2461 technical errors, according to data from the Federal Ministry of Civil Aviation. Indigo represents over half (1,288), followed by Spicejet with 633 and Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express with 389 cases, as of January 2025.

“Airlines’ Snags reporting has increased. That’s good,” said G -n Kidwai.

“I would not say that I am pleased with it. But I see value in the growing consideration culture (Snags). It is far better for everyone to be attracted to the authorities than to remain silent and to run the plane.”

G -K Kidwai said that with the increase in the number of flights, it is important to “see if the flight time is adequate for (maintenance) checks.”

To be sure, demands for the regulator have grown: India has become the world’s third largest passenger market. Yet in the last two years the Ministry of Civil Aviation has been confronted budgetreflecting a reduced financial priority for the sector.

Today, planned carriers of the country operate nearly 850 aircraft – a significant increase from about 400 just a decade ago.

The number of air passengers has doubled from 2014-15 – from 116 million to 239 million.

The number of commercial aerodromes also has a significant increase-from about 60-70 a decade ago to about 130-140 today.

“Total, including both planned and non-planned operators, we now have 1 288 aircraft in operation. By the end of the decade, we are expected to operate over 2000 aircraft,” said Mr Kidwai. (Non -planned operators include charter airlines, private jet operators, air taxis and helicopter services.)

So, has Air India’s worst crash raised the reputation of air travel in India? G -n Kidwai said the data did not point to it.

“We looked at the data to judge if this had any impact on internal or international operations. There was no significant drop in traffic. We were most observed very marginal immersion for a short period, affecting both domestic and international flights, along with several cancelled,” he told the BBC.

“It is natural for people to feel worried after such incidents. But over time, as more clarity occurs and the situation is better understood that anxiety tends to go away. Time is a great healer.”