Petitioner wants safety checks and audits after deadly Boeing 787 crash
New Delhi: A PIL has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking directions for the suspension of operations of all Boeing aircraft in the Air India fleet till a safety audit is completed in two weeks, in view of the crash of the airline’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that killed 270 people.
The petitioner sought, within four weeks, the formulation and notification of mandatory guidelines prescribing stringent and periodic functional checks of all cabin equipment, engines, airframes and ancillary systems, consistent with best international standards.
The plea sought directions to the authorities, particularly the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, to conduct unannounced audits of the fleet of all airlines in India, with public disclosure of findings and imposition of immediate corrective measures or penalties for non-compliance.
The plea filed by petitioner and advocate Ajay Bansal has made the Centre, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Air India Limited and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) parties.
It also sought directions for stringent security and scientific checks of all planes operating in India and immediate grounding of aircraft found not fully functional or without prescribed facilities for international passenger service until all defects were rectified and airworthiness re-certified.
He cited the Ahmedabad air crash and his own business class journey along with his wife on AI 127 (Delhi-Chicago) on May 20, where, he said, seats, in-flight entertainment and air-conditioning were non-functional. He and his wife lodged a complaint with Air India but the airline admitted fault in part and offered a compensation of Rs 10,000, the plea said, adding, these service lapses are not isolated incidents.
The plea claimed the seats failed to recline properly, the seat-back entertainment systems were entirely non-functional and air-conditioning did not work until cruising altitude.
