Five Indian airlines have reported as many as 183 technical defects in their aircraft until July this year, the civil aviation ministry said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Out of the 183 technical snags reported to aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), 85 have been reported by Air India and Air India Express together. IndiGo and Akasa Air reported 62 and 28 technical defects, respectively, while SpiceJet reported 8 defects, according to the government data.
"All defects reported by the airline to the DGCA are required to be investigated for taking appropriate rectification action. The investigation of all defects, particularly major defects, has to be completed expeditiously so as to take preventive/corrective action at the earliest possible," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in the written reply.
Meanwhile, the government also informed the lower House of the Parliament that as many as 112 pilots working with Air India have taken sick leave after the deadly Ahmedabad plane crash on June 12 that killed at least 260 people, including all but one of the 242 onboard.
"Air India reported a minor increase in sick leaves reported by pilots across all fleets in the aftermath of the AI-171 accident. On 16.06.2025, a total of 112 pilots reported sick, comprising of 51 Commanders (P1) and 61 First Officers (P2)," the minister said in a written reply.
The minister was responding to a Lok Sabha member's query on whether Air India has been experiencing mass sick reporting by its flight crew members, following the crash.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) medical circular, issued in February 2023, had advised airlines to have a separate, standalone and customised training capsule for the flight crew/ATCOs (Air Traffic Controllers) to recognise and manage the adverse effects of mental health conditions.
"Additionally, on mental health monitoring, the organisations (scheduled and non-scheduled operators, FTOs and AAI) were also advised to have a Peer Support Programme (PSP) in place for their employees.
The organisations are required to enable, facilitate and ensure access to this proactive and non-punitive programme that will assist and support flight crew/ATCOs in recognising, coping with and overcoming any problem," Mohol said.
FTOs and AAI refer to Flying Training Organisations and the Airports Authority of India, respectively.
In another written reply, Mohol said that at present, there is no specific policy with the civil aviation ministry related to compensation for damages suffered by civilians on the ground due to a plane crash.