DGCA

The implementation of the revised rules regarding duty and rest hours for pilots has already been delayed by over six months

Air India on Thursday said it has taken various steps, including adjusting flight schedules, and increasing the number of CAT-III trained pilots, among others, to deal with the issues of fog and poor visibility this winter season. Fog and poor visibility conditions impact a large number of flights every year, particularly those originating from Northern India. The Tata Group-owned Air India faced a Rs 30 lakh fine from the DGCA in January this year for not having enough pilots trained to fly in low visibility conditions ahead of the fog season. "Air India has adjusted flight schedules to minimise disruptions to long haul and metro-to-metro flights with onward connectivity during the fog window. It has also increased the number of CAT-III trained pilots who are certified to land in low visibility operations and CAT-III instrument landing system," Air India said without giving the number of such pilots. CAT III is an instrument landing system, which enables an aircraft to land in low

Aviation watchdog DGCA will soon come out with streamlined regulations for wet-leasing of planes by Indian airlines that will also entail enhanced oversight of the aircraft, amid airlines looking to operate more planes to meet rising travel demand. With persisting supply chain woes, there is a delay in aircraft deliveries and to meet the near-term needs, carriers are opting for planes on dry and wet leases. A senior official in the know told PTI that the efforts are on to streamline the regulations for wet-leasing of planes to assist in the growth of the aviation. "Realities of the engine problems cannot be wished away suddenly and on the other side, the possible routes are also increasing all the time," the official said. Many planes of IndiGo are on the ground due to Pratt & Whitney engine issues and the number of such aircraft is slowly coming down. Generally, wet-leasing of an aircraft involves the leasing of foreign aircraft, along with crew, maintenance and insurance. The ..

Airline informs regulator flight operations could face 'cascading' impact

A hard landing happens when an aircraft touches down at a speed exceeding the manufacturer's recommended limit

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Centre and aviation regulator DGCA to frame more comprehensive guidelines to control unruly air passengers and observed "something creative" had to be done. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan was hearing a plea filed by a 73-year-old woman, on whom a male co-passenger allegedly urinated in an inebriated condition on board an Air India flight in November, 2022. The septuagenarian sought directions to the Centre, the DGCA and all the air carriers to frame a standard operating procedure (SOP) to deal with similar incidents. The bench, hearing the plea, asked Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati to instruct the authorities concerned to examine and suitably modify the existing guidelines on unruly passengers, in line with the international norms. Interestingly, Justice Viswanathan shared his own experience while travelling with Justice Surya Kant when they encountered a similar incident. "We had a recent experience. Two passengers w

Air India has received aviation regulator DGCA's approval to carry out modifications in aircraft interiors in-house as the Tata Group-owned airline works on revamping its fleet and expanding operations. The full-service carrier has a collaboration with Tata Technologies to enhance aircraft interiors in its fleet. In a release on Monday, Air India said the Design Organisation Approval (DOA) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will enable the airline to independently make design changes in-house and implement modifications to its aircraft interiors more efficiently. "DOA is a transformative step towards enhancing Air India's in-house capabilities, which has been bolstered by decisions to set up its own engineering, maintenance and training facilities. This will enhance operational efficiency and make the airline more self-reliant," it added. An official said the approval will also allow Air India to offer the services to other Indian airlines in the future. Air Ind

Sources indicated that these pilots, who received training on unqualified simulators, may be required to undergo simulator training again

Aviation regulator DGCA on Thursday imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Akasa Air for certain lapses in training of crew, according to sources. "We acknowledge receipt of an order by the DGCA dated 17 October 2024. We are working closely with the regulator on this matter," an airline spokesperson said in a statement. The sources said the penalty has been imposed for certain training lapses. "For us at Akasa Air, safety is of the utmost importance, and we are committed to pursuing the highest global standards of safety," the statement said.

Indian airlines will operate 25,007 flights every week to and from 124 airports in the winter schedule starting October 27, according to aviation regulator DGCA. The number of flights is three per cent higher than 24,275 departures per week from 125 airports in the current summer schedule. In comparison to the winter schedule 2023, the number of flights has increased by 5.37 per cent. The winter schedule is from October 27, 2024 till March 29, 2025. "Out of these 124 airports, Pondicherry airport is proposed by the scheduled airlines whereas operations from Pakyong and Tezpur airport were suspended in the winter schedule 2024," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a release on Thursday. More than half of the total 25,007 domestic departures per week during the winter schedule will be handled by IndiGo. The Gurugram-headquartered airline will see 13,691 departures per week, up 4.91 per cent from 13,050 departures per week in the on-going summer schedule. Also,

It has been observed that there are 25,007 departures per week which have been finalized to/from 124 airports as per Winter Schedule 24, DGCA said

Overall, the Indian carriers carried a total of 13.027 million domestic passengers, which was 6.38 per cent more year-on-year

Random spot checks of low-cost carrier's operational aircraft will continue, says regulator

Company to spend Rs 400 crore on 36 grounded aircraft; says planning to bring 7 of them back in service by Nov 15

Air India Express to also conduct similar audit; SpiceJet says none of its Boeing 737 NGs impacted

Akasa Air on Tuesday said there will be no disruptions to its flight operations due to the latest advisories regarding potential risk of a jammed rudder control system in Boeing 737 planes. The airline operates a fleet of 25 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. On Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an advisory to Indian airlines operating Boeing 737 planes regarding the potential risk. An Akasa Air spokesperson said the identified issue does not impact its operations. "Akasa can confirm that there will be no disruptions to our flight schedule as a result of the latest DGCA / Boeing advisories," the spokesperson said in a statement. The airline did not mention whether its planes are impacted. A recent probe report by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) highlighted safety concerns involving Boeing 737 aircraft equipped with Collins Aerospace SVO-730 Rudder Rollout Guidance Actuators. Against this backdrop, DGCA came out with the advisory. In August

Aviation regulator DGCA on Monday issued an advisory to Indian airlines operating Boeing 737 planes regarding the potential risk of a jammed rudder control system. The move follows the recent probe report by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that highlighted safety concerns involving Boeing 737 aircraft equipped with Collins Aerospace SVO-730 Rudder Rollout Guidance Actuators. Against the backdrop of the potential risk of a jammed or restricted rudder control system, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued safety recommendations to Indian carriers. Currently, Air India Express, Akasa Air and SpiceJet operate Boeing 737 planes. Together, they have nearly 100 such aircraft. Air India Express operates 61 Boeing 737s, while Akasa Air has a fleet of 25 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. According to data available on planespotters.net, SpiceJet has 11 Boeing 737s in service. In August, Boeing informed affected operators of 737 planes about the potential cond

The DGCA stated that all flight crews involved in B737 planes must be informed, through a circular or advisory, about the possibility of a jammed or restricted rudder control system

Aviation regulator DGCA on Monday issued an advisory to Indian airlines operating Boeing 737 planes regarding the potential risk of a jammed rudder control system. The move follows the recent probe report by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that highlighted safety concerns involving Boeing 737 aircraft lanes equipped with Collins Aerospace SVO-730 Rudder Rollout Guidance Actuators. Against the backdrop of the potential risk of a jammed or restricted rudder control system, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued safety recommendations to the Indian carriers. Currently, Air India Express, Akasa Air and SpiceJet operate Boeing 737 planes. DGCA said all flight crews are to be informed through a circular/advisory regarding the possibility of a jammed or restricted rudder control system. "Appropriate mitigations must be communicated to help crews identify and handle such a situation," it added. Further, all operators have been asked to conduct a sa

The merger of AIX Connect with Air India Express is an important milestone in the transformation journey of Air India Group and the merged entity will cater to the growing air travel demand, Campbell Wilson said on Tuesday. Wilson is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Air India as well as the Chairman of Air India Express. Aviation regulator DGCA has approved the merger of AIX Connect with Air India Express, which will now focus on future growth and transformation agenda, according to a release. The merged entity will operate under the 'Air India Express' name and a unified airline code 'IX'. With the merger completed, Air India Express will focus on a future growth and transformation agenda. "About a year ago, we started the integration of AIX Connect and Air India Express, bringing the two organisations together behind a common brand. "Alongside, we worked on the complex integration exercise culminating today in the operational and legal merger of the two ...