NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has uncovered serious safety and technical lapses at Delhi and Mumbai airports, as well as the airlines operating from these hubs, following a comprehensive surveillance conducted last week.
The aviation regulator has apprised the concerned operators of the findings and directed them to initiate corrective action within seven days.
One of the key concerns flagged was the inadequate rectification of recurring defects in aircraft, indicating ineffective monitoring and poor maintenance practices. Another major lapse was the absence of mandatory surveys over the past three years, despite multiple new constructions near the aerodrome areas, raising fresh safety concerns.
During the surveillance, the DGCA also cancelled airside driving permits of several drivers and withdrew airside vehicle permits due to safety anomalies.
"The DGCA encountered multiple cases wherein the reported defects reappeared many times on the aircraft, indicating the ineffective monitoring and inadequate rectification action on the defects/repeated defects," the DGCA said in a statement.
The surveillance was carried out by two teams led by the Joint Director General, DGCA, during the night and early morning hours.
In a particularly alarming finding, life vests on several aircraft were not properly secured beneath designated seats, posing a significant threat to passenger safety in the event of an emergency.
A domestic flight was also grounded after inspectors found severely worn-out tyres. The aircraft was cleared for operation only after necessary repairs.
At one of the inspected runways, the centre line marking—a critical visual guide for pilots—was found to have faded.
"The rapid exit taxiway and the green centre lights were not unidirectional. The obstruction limitation data has not been updated for the last three years, and no survey has been conducted despite many new constructions around the vicinity of the aerodrome,” the statement said.
The regulator also found that many ramp area vehicles lacked speed governors, which control maximum vehicle speed. The DGCA promptly cancelled their airside permits and suspended the driving permits of those responsible.
The DGCA flagged worrying maintenance oversights. In several cases, Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs) failed to adhere to prescribed work orders and safety protocols.
"In some instances, the AME was not attending to the snag rectification. Defect reports generated by the aircraft system were not found recorded in the technical logbook,” the statement said.
"Ground handling equipments like baggage trollies and Baggage Freight Loader were found unserviceable while maintenance of Line and tool control procedures were not followed," it added.
In another lapse, a simulator used for pilot training did not match the configuration of the aircraft it was meant to replicate.
"The software was not also updated to the current version," according to the statement.
“All the findings observed during the surveillance have been communicated to the concerned operators for taking necessary corrective actions within seven days,” the release added.
The Director General of DGCA, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, told TNIE that similar surveillance will be conducted at Kolkata and Hyderabad airports shortly.
“The objective behind this exercise is to strengthen safety measures across the aviation sector in the country,” he stressed.
The DGCA has put in place a special audit framework for a "360-degree" evaluation of the country's aviation ecosystem, in the wake of the deadly crash of a London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 plane, earlier this month that killed at least 275 including all but one of the 242 people on board.
