Airline glitches: Aircraft maintenance sector in dire need of maintenance

Pool of engineers increasing every year, though jobs have failed to keep pace

The recent spate of technical glitches in aircraft has prompted the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to issue an order on July 18, making aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs) with category B1/B2 licences the final authorities in certifying planes. This has put the spotlight on the availability of such personnel.

According to the order, airlines were resorting to frequent one-off authorisation by the Category A certifying staff at transit stations, which is not in line with existing regulatory provisions. This category of AME is permitted to maintain aircraft only within certain limits, unlike Category B licences, which are more given