478 glitches faced by Indian airlines in a year; Air India alone faced 184

Between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, aircraft in India faced 478 technical snags. Air India faced 184 glitches, the highest among Indian airlines, minister for state in the Ministry of Civil Aviation V K Singh told Rajya Sabha on Monday. Tiruchi Siva, a member of Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu, asked the question.

"A total of 478 technical snags were reported in the last one-year w.e.f. July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022," Singh said.

Indigo followed Air India with 98 glitches. Spicejet faced 77 such glitches and stood third on the list

"An aircraft may experience technical snags due to malfunctioning of components/ equipment fitted on the aircraft which require rectification by the airlines for continued safe, efficient and reliable air transport service. These technical snags are reported by the flight crew on receiving an aural/ visual warning in the cockpit or an indication of an inoperative/ faulty system or while experiencing difficulty in handling/ operating the aircraft," Singh added.

In another reply, Singh said that although there were 478 glitches, only 27 safety-related issues were reported between April 1, 2022, and July 25, 2022.

"A total of 177 surveillance exercises, 497 spot checks and 169-night surveillance exercises have been carried out by DGCA on engineering and maintenance aspects of scheduled operators during the last one year (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022)," Singh further added.

Singh also said that in 21 instances where violations were found, appropriate steps had been taken against the airlines. This includes suspension of license, withdrawal of post holder, issuance of warning letters etc.

The ministry issued a show cause notice against Spicejet based on the evaluation by DGCA. From July 27, 2022, the airline has been asked to operate 50 per cent of flights for eight weeks.