Rise in technical snags due to Covid lockdowns, curtailed flight ops

Last week, the DGCA ordered a special audit of all commercial airlines following a number of “engineering related incidents” across various carriers.

New Delhi: The lockdowns and curtailed airline operations due to Covid could be the reason behind the increasing number of technical malfunctions being reported by Indian airlines, DGCA chief Arun Kumar told, adding that the aviation safety regulator is enhancing its surveillance to minimise such events.

The reasons for the increasing number of technical snags appear to be Covid-related, which impacted airline operations due to lockdown and curtailed operations etc. Also, there is a universal problem of manpower shortage after Covid, not just with one airline or one country,” said Kumar.

According to official data sourced from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), over 460 technical snags were reported by airlines in India in the last one year.

Last week, the DGCA ordered a special audit of all commercial airlines following a number of “engineering related incidents” across various carriers. As part of its inspection, the regulator will study the availability of manpower, facilities and equipment, in addition to the aircraft grounded on account of non-availability of spares.