DGCA conducts inspections at major airports
Two teams led by the Joint Director General-level officer conducted inspections at major airports, including Delhi and Mumbai
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VELANKANNI RAJ B
India’s civil aviation regulator has conducted inspections at major airports, including Delhi and Mumbai, to strengthen safety measures across the aviation sector.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), these inspections were carried out last week during “night and early morning hours” under its comprehensive surveillance initiative.
The move follows DGCA’s decision to initiate a focused assessment of the aviation ecosystem.
As part of this initiative, two teams led by the Joint Director General-level officer conducted inspections at major airports, including Delhi and Mumbai.
The surveillance, DGCA cited, covered critical areas such as flight operations, airworthiness, ramp safety, air traffic control, and pre-flight medical evaluations.
Effective monitoring
Accordingly, the inspections revealed several safety concerns, including ineffective monitoring and inadequate rectification of defects on aircraft, unserviceable ground handling equipment, and poor line maintenance stores and tool control procedures.
Besides, the regulator said that these inspections found instances of work orders not being followed during maintenance, safety precautions not being taken, and defects not being properly recorded.
Other findings included worn-out tyres on a domestic flight, which was held up until the required rectification was carried out, and a simulator was found that did not match the aircraft configuration.
Furthermore, inspections discovered other lapses, such as life vests that were not properly secured and corrosion-resistant tape on an aircraft winglet that was damaged.
“All the findings observed during the surveillance have been communicated to the concerned operators for taking necessary corrective actions within seven days,” the DGCA said.
“This process of comprehensive surveillance will continue in the future to detect hazards in the system.”
Last week, the DGCA launched a comprehensive safety audit to examine safety, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance in the overall aviation sector.
“In a significant paradigm shift, the ‘Comprehensive Special Audit’ is designed to transcend existing siloed assessments by evaluating the aviation ecosystem holistically,” the regulator saidrcular.
“This special audit will focus on examining the ‘Safety Management Systems’, operational practices, and regulatory adherence across all aviation domains. The goal is to generate a 360-degree evaluation of the aviation ecosystem, reflecting both its strengths and areas needing improvement.”
Published on June 24, 2025
