New Delhi: Scheduled Indian airlines reported 22 safety violations and 21 in-flight engine shutdown incidents during 2024, the government informed Parliament on Thursday.
“All the occurrences are investigated to identify the cause and prevent recurrence,” Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.
The minister said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has put in place comprehensive Civil Aviation Regulations to ensure the safe operation and maintenance of aircraft. These regulations are regularly updated and aligned with international standards prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Meanwhile, the aviation regulator has already taken action against 19 safety-related violations by airlines so far in 2025.
In an earlier written response to the Rajya Sabha, Mohol shared detailed information on airline non-compliance, safety budgets, and staffing gaps across major aviation bodies. He noted that DGCA enforcement has intensified over the past five years, with regulatory actions against scheduled airlines increasing from two in 2021 to seven in 2022, 10 in 2023, and 22 in 2024, before reaching 19 so far this year.
The actions taken include financial penalties, suspension of approvals or authorisations, and issuance of official warnings. The violations span a wide range of safety lapses, including non-compliance with breath analyser norms for crew, deficiencies in flight data monitoring, unauthorised cockpit access, and poor-quality assurance audits.
Other violations involved the use of flight simulators without DGCA approval, deployment of crew without mandatory training, and breaches of Flight Duty Time Limitations. Maintenance-related shortcomings were also identified, such as failure to follow prescribed procedures, deficiencies during spot checks, and instances of aircraft being operated with expired emergency equipment.
The minister added that the government has been allocating funds to strengthen DGCA’s safety and regulatory oversight, with year-wise budget details provided in an annexure to Parliament.
With inputs from IANS