Official figures presented in Parliament show that the Air India Group had the highest share of aircraft with repeated technical problems among Indian airlines reviewed, with more than 70 percent of its fleet flagged for recurring defects.
The data was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol.
Over 70% of Air India Group Fleet Flagged for Repeated Technical Defects
According to the submission, inspections conducted since January last year found that 191 out of 267 aircraft operated by the Air India Group had recurring technical deficiencies.
A closer look at the group showed that 137 of the 166 aircraft under Air India were identified with repetitive issues during inspections.
Within the same group, 54 of the 101 aircraft operated by Air India Express were also flagged for similar recurring defects.
Responding to the figures, an Air India official said, “We have, out of abundant caution, carried out checks across our fleet. Hence, numbers are higher.”
A senior Air India executive explained that aircraft inspections cover multiple systems and components, which are classified into categories A, B, C, and D based on urgency and operational priority.
The executive clarified that most of the issues identified on Air India aircraft fall under category D, which covers non-critical items such as passenger seats, tray tables, and seat-back entertainment screens.
Emphasising safety, the executive stated, “These are not related to the safety of the aircraft.”
Air India Retrofit Plan to Fix Non-Critical Aircraft Issues Over Next Two Years
The executive further added that the airline’s ongoing retrofit programme for narrow-body aircraft, scheduled to roll out over the next two years, is expected to address these category D issues as well.
Across the broader aviation sector, inspections were carried out on 754 aircraft belonging to six scheduled airlines to assess recurring technical shortcomings.
Of these 754 aircraft, 377 planes across the industry were found to have repeated technical defects.
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, had 405 aircraft examined during this period.
The data showed that 148 of IndiGo’s aircraft had recurring technical defects as of February 3 this year.
Other carriers also reported similar issues, though on a smaller scale.
SpiceJet recorded recurring defects in 16 aircraft out of the 43 planes that were reviewed.
Akasa Air had 14 aircraft flagged for repetitive issues from a total of 32 aircraft analysed.
The government also provided details of safety oversight activities carried out by the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
During the previous year, the DGCA conducted 3,890 surveillance inspections as part of its routine monitoring responsibilities.
In the same period, the regulator carried out 56 regulatory audits and performed 84 inspections of foreign aircraft operating in India.
Planned oversight activities also included 492 ramp inspections conducted at airports.
Apart from scheduled checks, the DGCA undertook 874 spot inspections under unplanned safety oversight measures.
The regulator additionally carried out 550 night surveillance inspections to monitor operations during late hours.
On the issue of staffing, the government told Parliament that the DGCA had 637 sanctioned technical positions in 2022.
Following a restructuring exercise aimed at strengthening regulatory oversight, the number of sanctioned technical posts at the DGCA has now been increased to 1,063.
