Around half the aircraft examined for technical deficiencies across Indian carriers have been flagged for recurring defects, with the Air India Group and IndiGo accounting for the largest share, according to government data tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The findings are based on an analysis of repetitive technical snags identified during audits conducted since January last year.

The data was shared in a written reply by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, highlighting the scale of recurring issues detected across fleets operated by six scheduled airlines.

Air India Group Records Highest Ratio Of Repetitive Defects

Of the 754 aircraft analysed, 377 were flagged for recurring defects, amounting to nearly 50 per cent of the total fleet reviewed. The Air India Group emerged with the highest proportion of aircraft showing repetitive snags. Out of 267 aircraft checked across Air India and Air India Express, as many as 191 were found to have recurring issues, translating to nearly 72 per cent of the audited fleet.

Breaking it down further, 137 of Air India’s 166 aircraft were flagged, while 54 of 101 Air India Express planes showed similar patterns. Responding to the data, an Air India spokesperson said the airline had undertaken extensive checks across its fleet “out of an abundance of caution”, which led to a higher number of observations being recorded.

A senior Air India executive clarified that most of the issues identified were of a lower priority and not related to flight safety. Aircraft systems are categorised from A to D based on urgency, with most of the airline’s observations falling under category D, covering items such as seats, tray tables and in-flight entertainment screens.

IndiGo Tops In Absolute Numbers; Other Airlines Also Flagged

In terms of absolute numbers, IndiGo had the highest number of aircraft reviewed. As of February 3, 405 IndiGo planes were analysed, of which 148 were identified as having repetitive defects, the minister informed the House.

Other carriers also featured in the audit. Of the 43 SpiceJet aircraft reviewed, 16 were flagged for recurring snags, while Akasa Air saw 14 aircraft identified with repetitive defects out of 32 examined. The government did not indicate that any of the issues posed immediate safety risks but underlined the importance of monitoring recurring technical faults.

DGCA Steps Up Surveillance And Expands Technical Manpower

Alongside airline audits, the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation significantly ramped up surveillance activities last year. According to Mohol, the DGCA carried out 3,890 surveillance inspections, 56 regulatory audits, 84 surveillance of foreign aircraft checks and 492 ramp inspections as part of planned oversight.

In addition, 874 spot checks and 550 night inspections were conducted under unplanned surveillance. On the manpower front, the minister said the DGCA had 637 sanctioned technical posts in 2022. Following restructuring, the number of sanctioned technical positions has now been increased to 1,063 to address staffing gaps and strengthen regulatory oversight.

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