DGCA flags defects in aviation ecosystem after surveillance at major airports

New Delhi, June 24: Aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday said surveillance conducted at major airports revealed several defects in the aviation ecosystem, including multiple cases wherein the defects reappeared on aircraft and centre line marking faded on runway.

The surveillance, which comes against the backdrop of the fatal Air India plane crash at Ahmedabad on June 12, covered critical areas such as flight operations, airworthiness, ramp safety, air traffic control, communication, navigation systems, and pre-flight medical evaluations.

Without disclosing names of airlines or any other entities in the ecosystem, the DGCA in a statement said the findings have been communicated to those concerned for taking corrective actions within seven days.

Two teams led by DGCA Joint Director General carried out comprehensive surveillance during night and early morning hours at major airports, including Delhi and Mumbai.

During the surveillance, domestic flight of a scheduled carrier was found to be held up due to worn tyres and was released only after the required rectification, the statement said.

There were multiple cases wherein the reported defects reappeared many times on aircraft, indicating ineffective monitoring and inadequate rectification, it added.

Among other defects, the regulator found that a simulator was not matching with the aircraft configuration and also the software was not updated to the current version.

PTI