Key Points

On June 19, 2025, the DGCA issued an order to initiate a focused assessment of the aviation ecosystem.

According to the official release, two teams led by the Joint Director General, DGCA, carried out comprehensive surveillance during the night and early morning hours at major airports, including Delhi and Mumbai. The surveillance covered multiple critical areas such as flight operations, airworthiness, ramp safety, air traffic control (ATC), communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) systems, and pre-flight medical evaluations.

Throughout the surveillance, ground activities and aircraft movements were closely monitored to check the compliance of regulatory requirements and to identify weak areas for improvement.

The findings made during the surveillance include multiple cases wherein the reported defects reappeared many times on the aircraft, indicating ineffective monitoring and inadequate rectification action on the defects/repeated defects; ground handling equipment such as baggage trollies, BFL, etc. were found unserviceable; and line maintenance stores and tool control procedures were not followed.

During maintenance of the aircraft, the work order was not followed; The unserviceable thrust reverser system and Flap Slat Lever were not locked. During maintenance, safety precautions were found not taken by AME as per AMM; at places, the AME was not attending to the snag rectification; Defect reports generated by the aircraft system were not found recorded in the technical logbook; Several life vests were not properly secured beneath their designated seats; The corrosion-resistant tape on the right-hand side winglet's lower blade was found to be damaged.

Similarly, at an airport, the centre line marking of the runway was observed faded; The rapid exit taxiway and green centre lights were not unidirectional; the obstruction limitation data has not been updated for the last three years, and no survey has been performed despite many new constructions around the vicinity of the aerodrome; number of vehicles in the ramp area were found without speed governors. These vehicles were withdrawn by cancelling their AVP, and the drivers' ADP were suspended.

A simulator was checked and found not matching with the aircraft configuration. The software was also not updated to the current version.

A domestic flight of a scheduled carrier was cancelled due to worn tyres, and it was released only after the required rectification was carried out. All the findings observed during the surveillance were communicated to the concerned operators so they could take necessary corrective actions within seven days.

This process of comprehensive surveillance will continue in future to detect hazards in the system in line with the order issued on June 19, 2025.

The DGCA is the regulatory body in the field of Civil Aviation, primarily dealing with safety issues, and is fully committed to the safety and security of air operations in the country.

- ANI