A total of 377 aircraft were flagged for recurring technical problems since January 2025, after an analysis of 754 aircraft operated by six scheduled airlines, Lok Sabha Among these carriers on Thursday, Air India Group and IndiGo accounted for the highest number of such cases.
Of the 166 Air India aircraft analysed, 137 were identified for recurring faults. (Reuters/File Photo)In a written reply to Parliament, State Minister Dr Civil Aviation Muralidhar Mahal said the civil aviation regulator conducted 3,890 surveillance inspections and 56 regulatory audits as part of its planned oversight activities during the year.
Also Read | UK demands explanation from Air India over fuel switch incident, warns of regulatory actionHe added that officials also conducted 84 surveillance checks of foreign aircraft (SOFA). Additionally, 492 ramps were inspected to ensure compliance with safety and operational norms.
Half of the inspected planes showed repetitive defectsAccording to the analysis, nearly half of the planes tested for technical problems across Indian airlines were found to have repeated faults.
The government said 754 aircraft operated by six scheduled airlines from January 2025 were reviewed for recurring problems. Of these, 377 aircraft were identified for repeat defects.
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Meanwhile, aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has conducted 3,890 surveillance inspections, 56 regulatory audits, 84 Foreign Aircraft (SOFA) surveillance checks and 492 ramp checks as part of its planned surveillance activities.
In response to another question, the minister said that in 2022, DGCA had 637 sanctioned technical posts. He further said that restructuring has been done to meet manpower shortage in the coming years and the number of approved technical posts has been increased to 1063.
Which airline tops the list?Data shows that 405 IndiGo aircraft were tested, of which 148 were found to have recurring faults till February 3.
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Of the 166 Air India aircraft analysed, 137 were identified for recurring faults. Similarly, out of 101 aircraft reviewed, 54 Air India Express aircraft have been identified for recurring defects.
Taken together, 267 aircraft operated by the Air India Group including Air India and Air India Express were analysed. Of these, 191 aircraft, or about 72 percent, were identified for recurring defects.
The data also shows that out of 43 SpiceJet aircraft analyzed, 16 aircraft were found to have repeat faults. In the case of Akasa Air, 14 of the 32 aircraft reviewed were identified as having repeat defects.
Air India responded to the informationReacting to the figures, an Air India spokesperson told news agency PTI, “We have conducted tests on our fleet out of an abundance of caution. Hence, the numbers are high.”
A senior Air India executive said the aircraft checks cover various types of equipment, which are categorized into A, B, C and D categories based on priority or urgency.
“In Air India’s case, most of the concerns fall under the D category. These include items like seats, tray tables and seat-back screens. These issues are not related to aircraft safety,” the executive said.
He added that these issues will also be addressed as the retrofit program for narrow-body aircraft is implemented over the next two years.
with input from organizations
