New Delhi:

Aviation watchdog DGCA has asked airlines to rationalise airfares for flights to Prayagraj in view of the Maha Kumbh amid concerns over higher air tickets on the route.

Airlines, including SpiceJet, are operating more flights to Prayagraj.

To meet increased demand for air travel, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has approved 81 additional flights in January, increasing the air connectivity to Prayagraj to 132 flights from across the country.

In a post on X on Saturday, the regulator said that in view of the likely surge in demand, airlines have been urged to increase further capacity by adding flights and rationalise fares.

DGCA officials held a meeting with airline representatives on January 23 in this regard.

Bookings as well as airfares for flights to Prayagraj have jumped multi-fold as more people travel for the Maha Kumbh, with the air ticket prices rising up to 21 per cent for the Delhi-Prayagraj flights, an analysis by travel portal Ixigo showed earlier this month.

The Maha Kumbh, which started on January 13, will conclude on February 26.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

One of the key elements of the DGCA proposal made public in January 2024 but hanging fire is the curtailment of night flying, which has been opposed by both IndiGo and Air India.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The DGCA informed Delhi High Court on Thursday (January 23, 2025) that the revised pilots rest and duty norms proposed by it in January 2024 could be implemented in a staggered manner starting July 1, 2025. Airlines have opposed the proposal.

One of the key elements of the DGCA proposal made public in January 2024 but hanging fire is the curtailment of night flying, which has been opposed by both IndiGo and Air India. IndiGo is also opposed to implementing enhanced weekly rest from 36 hours to 48 hours in one shot, instead favouring a phased enforcement by first raising it to 40 hours from 2025 summer.

Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju has given the DGCA three weeks to submit an affidavit, where the regulator will specify provisions that will be implemented by July 1, 2025 and the ones that may come into force from the Winter Schedule, i.e last Sunday of October.

The January 2024 proposal was initially planned for implementation from June 2024, but was indefinitely deferred after an industry body representing airlines opposed it on the grounds that it would require recruiting more pilots and force flight cancellations.

The Indian aviation watchdog has introduced new safety measures for Boeing 737 aircraft after concerns over the potential risks with its rudder control systems. An aircraft rudder is a primary tool that controls the movement of the jet.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines operating Boeing 737 aircraft to conduct safety risk assessments and cease some types of instrument landing.

“All flight crews are to be informed through a circular/advisory regarding the possibility of a Jammed or restricted Rudder control system. Appropriate mitigations must be communicated,” DGCA said in a statement.

Pilots must be trained to recognise and handle this issue, and some advanced landing techniques will be temporarily stopped, as part of the safety measures.

The safety measures will affect auto-landing operations, especially during winter when low-visibility landings are more common. No landings in low visibility/fog or poor weather will be possible until the issue is resolved.

This directly impacts Air India Express, Akasa, SpiceJet, and the Indian Air Force which operate different variants of the Boeing 737 jetliner.

Boeing 737 is a legacy aircraft widely operated in India. It is part of the VIP squadron and even the Prime Minister and the President fly on it.

The DGCA statement said it has taken into cognizance of a report by the US National Transportation Safety Board that highlighted safety concerns involving Boeing 737 airplanes equipped with a certain type of rudder control system.

The NTSB had Thursday issued safety recommendations about the potential risk of jammed rudder controls on some 737 aircraft. The report followed a February incident in which rudder pedals were jammed in the neutral position on a 737 Max 8 aircraft while landing in Newark. There were no injuries.

Boeing is yet to comment on the report.

New Delhi:

Aviation regulator DGCA has ordered a probe into the incident of an aircraft engine part found outside the Delhi airport, sources said on Wednesday.

While they mentioned that the metal part might be of an Air India Express aircraft that made an emergency landing at the airport on Monday, the airline said that it could not confirm yet if the metal pieces were from its aircraft.

The sources in the know said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a probe into the incident. One of the sources said the parts are probably of a broken blade of an aircraft engine.

Aviation regulator DGCA has ordered a probe into the incident of an aircraft engine part found outside the Delhi airport, sources said on Wednesday.

The flight was bound for Bahrain.

“The failure was managed in accordance with laid-down procedures, and a precautionary landing was conducted at Delhi,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Further, the spokesperson said the matter has been reported to the regulator and other agencies concerned and is currently under investigation.

“We are aware of reports of metal pieces being found at Shankar Vihar. At this time, we cannot confirm if these metal pieces are from our aircraft. The investigation is ongoing to establish the facts,” the spokesperson added.

According to the Delhi Police, a call was received from Vasant Vihar resident Shivani Pathak who stated that metal pieces had fallen from an aircraft at her house.

On reaching the spot, the caller, who is a captain in the Indian Army, said that an aircraft passed over the area and some metal pieces fell from it.

She produced one small piece of a black-coloured metal, the police said.

A police officer said a technical team would determine if the metal pieces belonged to the same aircraft or not.

Since the matter pertains to the airport authority, a case has been filed, the police officer said, adding that a probe is underway.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Friday imposed a financial penalty of Ninety Lakh rupees on Air India Limited for operating a flight with non-qualified crew members.

In addition, a penalty of Rupees Six Lakhs and Rupees Three Lakhs respectively is imposed on the Director Operations and Director Training of Air India.

Further, the concerned pilot has been warned to exercise caution to prevent such occurrences in future. Air India Limited operated a flight commanded by a non-trainer line captain paired with a non-line-released first officer which has been viewed by the regulator as a serious scheduling incident having significant safety ramifications.

The incident came to the notice of DGCA through a voluntary report submitted by Air India Limited on 10th July 2024.

Taking cognizance of this incident, the regulator undertook comprehensive investigations into Air India Limited operations including examination of documentation and spot check of Air India Limited Scheduling Facility.

Based on the investigation, it was prima facie revealed that there are deficiencies and multiple violations of the regulatory provisions by several post holders and staff, which could significantly affect safety.

The concerned commander of the flight and DGCA approved Post Holders of Air India Limited were provided an opportunity to explain their position vide show cause notices (SCNs) dated 22 July 2024. The reply submitted by the concerned failed to provide a satisfactory justification. As such, DGCA has initiated enforcement action in terms of provisions of the extant rules, and regulations and imposed the above penalty.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has issued safety standards for ground handling service providers . Photo: dgca.gov.in

Aviation watchdog DGCA has come out with safety standards for ground handling service providers at airports, including the compulsory safety clearance requirement, as part of efforts to ensure safe ground operations amid rising air traffic.

The norms also come against the backdrop of ground incidents at some airports that have resulted in damage to aircraft.

Regulation for Ground Handling Service Providers

The new Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), prepared after detailed consultations, will strengthen the oversight mechanism, the DGCA said in a release on July 10.

It also specifies the training and competency requirements of ground personnel who are part of ground operations at the airports.

Ground Handling Service Providers (GHSPs) are required to obtain safety clearance within six months from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The six-month time period is from July 8, when the CAR was issued by the regulator.

“The robust safety mechanism to be implemented prospectively by GHSPs would help in prevention and mitigation of ground incidents at the airport thereby enhancing the quality of services rendered in safety-sensitive functions,” the release said.

Under the new norms, GHSPs are required to appoint accountable managers, station managers and safety managers. Among other requirements, ground personnel have to undergo recurrent training.

Increase in aircraft movements in India

Taking into account the phenomenal growth of aircraft movements, a corresponding increase in complexity of ground operations and the proliferation of third-party ground handling services, the DGCA said it has become imperative to establish safety standards for GHSPs involved in ground operations of aircraft at Indian airports, an area which was hitherto uncovered under any existing regulations.

Larger aircraft, an increase in ground support equipment and faster turnarounds all contribute to the challenge of improving operational safety.

With the growth of air traffic and the proliferation of third-party ground handling services, ground operations on airport aprons have become increasingly complex and potentially hazardous, the DGCA said.

Reasons for regulation

Apron areas are often the most congested and busiest areas of an airport with aircraft turnarounds being carried out under limited space and time constraints.

“Unlike other areas of the aviation industry, the ground handling sector is currently not subjected to the level of regulation in areas such as flight operations, air traffic management and aerodrome operations.

Therefore, it has become necessary to develop the requirements to achieve operational safety at airports for aircraft operations,” the regulator said.

India is one of the world’s fastest-growing civil aviation markets and airlines are expanding their fleets.

Tata Group-owned Air India on July 1 said it will set up a training institute at Amravati in Maharashtra with an aim to train 180 commercial pilots annually.

“The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-licensed Flight Training Organisation (FTO) at the Belora Airport will be the largest such institute in South Asia and become operational from the first quarter of next financial year,” Air India said in a statement.

According to the airline, the upcoming facility will be the first by any Indian airline in the country and will have 31 single-engine aircraft and three twin-engine aircraft for training.

Air India said it has got the tender from the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) to establish and operate the facility for 30 years.

“The FTO at Amravati will be a significant step towards making Indian aviation more self-reliant and offering more opportunities to the youth in India to fulfil their ambitions of flying as pilots. The young pilots coming out of this FTO will fuel Air India’s ambition of becoming a world-class airline, as it moves ahead in its transformation journey,” said Campbell Wilson, Managing Director and CEO at Air India.

“The facility, which will be developed on 10 acres, will have digitally-enabled classrooms, hostels on a par with global academies, a digitised operation centre, and a maintenance unit,” Air India said.

“The FTO will be operational by Q1 FY26 and offer aspiring pilots an opportunity to undergo training with world-class curricula on a par with best-in-class global schools,” said Sunil Bhaskaran, Director, Aviation Academy, Air India.

The collaborative initiative between MADC and Air India will not only boost the economy of Maharashtra by focussing on more than 3,000 new employment opportunities within the aviation sector, but also create employment in multifarious allied activities in skilling, technical and small entrepreneurial ventures culminating in an impressive contribution of more than ₹1,000 crore to the State’s GDP over the next decade,” said Swati Pandey, vice-chairman & Managing Director of MADC.

New Delhi:

A passenger of an Air India flight alleged some people fainted inside the aircraft, which had no air-conditioning, after a delay of over eight hours.

Shweta Punj, a journalist, in a post on X, said flight No. AI 183 was later by over eight hours, and “people were made to board the plane and sit without air-conditioning” at Delhi airport.

She said the passengers were then told to exit the aircraft after some of them fainted.

Delhi is experiencing a severe heatwave, with the temperature reaching a record 52.9 degree Celsius on Wednesday.

“If there is a privatisation story that has failed it is Air India. DGCA [aviation regulator] AI 183 flight has been delayed for over eight hours, passengers were made to board the plane without air-conditioning, and then deplaned after some people fainted in the flight. This is inhuman,” Ms Punj said in the post on X, tagging Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

If there is a privatisation story that has failed it is @airindia@DGCAIndia AI 183 flight has been delayed for over 8 hours , passengers were made to board the plane without air conditioning, and then deplaned after some people fainted in the flight.This is inhuman! @JM_Scindiapic.twitter.com/86KpaOAbgb

— Shweta Punj (@shwwetapunj) May 30, 2024

The Air India X handle responded to her: “Dear Ms. Punj, we truly regret to note the disruptions. Please be rest assured that our team is actively working to address the delay and appreciate your ongoing support and understanding. We are also alerting our team to provide necessary assistance to the passengers.”

Another passenger, Abhishek Sharma, appealed to the airline for swift action and drew its attention to let his parents and “numerous other parents stranded at the boarding area [to] go home”.

@airindia please let mine and the numerous other parents stranded at the boarding area go home!

AI 183 is over 8 hrs late. People were made to board the plane and sit without ac. Then deplaned and not allowed to enter the terminal because immigration was done#inhumanpic.twitter.com/0XdDBAovBK

— Abhishek Sharma (@39Abhishek) May 30, 2024

“AI 183 is over eight hours late. People were made to board the plane and sit without AC. Then deplaned and not allowed to enter the terminal because immigration was done,” Mr Sharma said in a post on X.

The Air India X bot handle replied to Mr Sharma with the same message that it responded to Ms Punj.

Visuals posted by many other passengers show people including children sitting on the floor, and some have taken off their shoes. They appear exhausted.

In January, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued guidelines to handle chaotic situations after a huge rush was seen due to fog at Delhi airport. The DGCA in the standard operating procedure (SOP) for “facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights”, said that airlines may cancel flights that are likely to be delayed or “consequentially delayed” beyond three hours. The DGCA had said all airlines must follow the SOP immediately.

New Delhi:

The Delhi High Court today directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to forthwith process the applications filed by several lessors for deregistration of their 54 planes so that they could take them back from the crisis-hit Go First airline.

The high court said the process shall be done in not later than five working days.

Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju also restrained the resolution professional (RP) appointed under the insolvency law to manage the airline, and its directors from moving or taking away the planes or spare parts, documents, records and any other material.

“DGCA shall forthwith and not later than five working days process the deregistration applications filed by the 54 aircraft,” the court said.

The high court said the DGCA, AAI and its authorised representatives shall aid and assist the petitioner lessors and grant them access to the airports.

It said the lessors are permitted to export the aircraft as per the applicable rules and laws.

“DGCA shall facilitate export of aircraft by providing export certificates and all other documents,” it said.

The high court pronounced the judgement on petitions by several lessors seeking de-registration of their planes by aviation regulator DGCA so that they could take them back from the airline.

After pronouncement of the verdict, the counsel for some of the respondents urged the court to keep its directions in abeyance for a week.

However, the judge refused to do so and said “you find another court to put my directions in abeyance”.

Several aircraft lessors of Go First had earlier approached the single judge seeking deregistration of their planes by aviation regulator DGCA so that they could take them back from the airline.

Earlier, the NCLT-appointed resolution professional, tasked with managing Go First, had told the high court that returning aircraft to the lessors will render the airline, which has 7,000 employees to look after “dead”.

On May 10, 2023, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) had admitted the airline’s voluntary insolvency resolution petition and appointed an interim resolution professional to manage the carrier.

With a moratorium in force on financial obligations and transfer of assets of Go First in the wake of the insolvency resolution proceedings, the lessors were unable to deregister and take back the aircraft leased to the carrier.

The lessors had earlier told the court that denial of deregistration by the DGCA was “illegitimate”.

Some of the lessors who have approached the high court are: Accipiter Investments Aircraft 2 Limited, EOS Aviation 12 (Ireland) Limited, Pembroke Aircraft Leasing 11 Limited, SMBC Aviation Capital Limited, SFV Aircraft Holdings IRE 9 DAC Ltd, ACG Aircraft Leasing Ireland Ltd and DAE SY 22 13 Ireland Designated Activity Company.

Besides, GY Aviation Lease 1722 Co Ltd, Jackson Square Aviation Ireland Ltd, Sky High XCV Leasing Company Ltd, Star Rising Aviation 13 Ltd, Bluesky 31 Leasing Company Ltd and Bluesky 19 Leasing Company Ltd have also approached the high court.

Go First stopped flying from May 3, 2023.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Watch | The troubles behind Vistara’s massive flight cancellations I Explained

Starting March 30, Vistara began to see scores of flight cancellations flooding social media with passenger complaints. Over the next four or five days, the airline saw over 150 flights cancelled and more than 200 flights delayed for more than two hours.

The airline attributed the cancellations to crew unavailability. But in order to cope with the situation and to avoid any further inconvenience to passengers the airline decided to drop a total of 1,000 flights in the month of April, or roughly 30 flights a day. This is about 10% of the airline’s total number of daily flights.

Why were there so many cancellations? Why was there deep unrest among pilots?

Read:  Why are Vistara flights being cancelled? | Explained 

Script and presentation: Jagriti Chandra

Video: Dipesh

Production: Shikha Kumari