A parliamentary panel has raised serious safety concerns in India’s aviation sector, revealing that around half of the commercial aircraft audited in the past year exhibited repeated technical defects. The Standing Committee on Civil Aviation, citing findings from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), called for urgent reforms to strengthen oversight and reset the country’s safety architecture.
Between January 2025 and February 2026, the DGCA audited 754 commercial aircraft, of which 377 were found to have recurring technical issues. Nearly half of these defects were concentrated in Air India and Air India Express. Among 166 Air India aircraft inspected, 137 showed repeated problems, while 54 out of 101 Air India Express planes reported persistent technical faults.
The report highlighted results from a detailed DGCA audit of Air India conducted in July 2025, following the Ahmedabad crash. The inspection identified roughly 100 safety lapses, including seven Level 1 violations requiring immediate corrective action. Issues included gaps in recurrent pilot training for Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft, insufficient cabin crew on at least four international flights, and violations of flight duty time limits, with one Milan–New Delhi flight exceeding permitted hours by over two hours.
The DGCA had issued nine show cause notices to Air India for safety violations, while by late 2025, 19 notices were sent to various operators for breaches such as unauthorized cockpit access, lapses in quality assurance, operating aircraft with expired emergency equipment, and flight duty limit violations. In February 2026, Air India was penalized nearly Rs 1 crore for operating an Airbus A320 on eight flights without a valid Airworthiness Review Certificate in November 2025.
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The panel also expressed concern about the regulator’s capacity, noting a 48.3 per cent vacancy rate at the DGCA. Lawmakers questioned whether the authority is adequately staffed to oversee the country’s rapidly expanding aviation sector and ensure compliance with safety standards.
The committee recommended structural reforms to strengthen regulatory oversight, enforce stricter compliance across airlines, and prevent recurring technical defects. Officials stressed that without immediate intervention, recurring safety lapses could undermine public confidence and aviation safety in India.
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