The government on Monday said that during the audit of Air India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found that the inspection of the emergency slide was overdue and immediately grounded the aircraft till the required rectification was carried out.
New Delhi:The government on Monday said that during the audit of Air India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found that the inspection of the emergency slide was overdue and immediately grounded the aircraft till the required rectification was carried out. DGCA has initiated enforcement action against Air India and the responsible personnel as per Enforcement Policy and Procedure Manual of DGCA, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.
No specific details, such as when the audit was conducted and when the enforcement action was initiated, were disclosed by the MoS in response to the question whether the government was aware that Air India aircrafts in weeks preceding the crash of Flight-171 in June 2025, were allowed to fly with overdue emergency slide inspections, in violation of mandatory safety norms.
"DGCA immediately grounded the aircraft till the required rectification was carried out. DGCA has initiated enforcement action against Air India and the responsible personnel as per Enforcement Policy and Procedure Manual of DGCA," he told the Rajya Sabha.
In recent times, Air India has come under the scanner of the DGCA for various lapses. Mr Mohol said the DGCA ensures the compliance by airlines with all safety and maintenance standards through the mechanism of conducting surveillance, spot check and night surveillance, among others, of airlines and its personnel.
"In case of violation, DGCA takes enforcement action in accordance with procedures prescribed in Enforcement Policy and Procedure Manual.The enforcement action consists of warning, suspension, cancellation including imposition of financial penalty to the airlines/ personnel. DGCA officials are well trained to perform the oversight and enforcement function," the minister said.
Meanwhile, Indian airlines have reported 183 technical faults in their planes this year while there was nearly 6 per cent decline in technical glitches last year compared to 2023, the government said on Monday. In 2022, the number of technical glitches reported was at 528 and in 2021, the count was at 514.
"A total of 2,094 investigations have been carried out against serious defect/snags reported during the last 5 years (up to June 2025)," Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said in a written reply.
