NEW DELHI: Incorrect diagnosis of defects and lack of manpower to certify aircraft as fit before they are cleared for flights are among the main causes identified by the Directorate-General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the rise in pitfalls affecting the have been reported by Indian airlines in recent weeks.
An increasing trend to release aircraft under the “Minimum Equipment List” (MEL) under financial strain. It involves releasing an aircraft to flight by repairing or replacing a non-critical component within a specified time frame. This has been identified as the third major cause of the recent increase in airborne anxiety.
Accordingly, the regulator on Monday instructed airlines to address these issues no later than July 28, failing which strict action will be taken.
The directive came a day after Union Aviation Secretary JM Scindia met senior ministry officials and DGCA officials following the spike in incidents.
On Monday, Scindia held a face-to-face meeting with airline executives to issue a one-line policy – safety is paramount and there should be no compromises with it.
The DGCA order issued on Monday reads: “Recently there have been reports of increased technical incidents at scheduled airlines. In order to ensure that the airlines comply with the set standards, the DGCA has carried out several spot checks in the recent past. ”
Spot checks performed by DGCA teams revealed: “improper determination of the root cause of a reported error; increasing trend towards MEL clearances and unavailability of the necessary certifying staff to handle multiple scheduled arrivals/departures in a short interval.”
The regulator adds that “airlines often resort to one-off authorizations for category A certifying staff at transit stations, which is not in line with existing regulatory requirements.”
Based on these findings, the DGCA has mandated that all aircraft must be cleared at base and transit stations by certifying staff holding a category B1/B2 AME (aircraft maintenance engineer) license with appropriate approval from their organization.
“They (airlines) are therefore recommended to position certifying staff (AME category B1/B2 license) at all base and transit stations, including the availability of the necessary tools and equipment. Alternatively, you may choose to dispatch the certifying staff for flight duties, the above shall be ensured by July 28, 2022 upon request to this office,” read the order of Deputy DG of DGCA Tuhinanshu Sharma.