Half of audited planes showed repetitive defects; Air India Group, IndiGo top list: Govt data

ANumber of 377 aircraft were flagged for repeated technological issues since jan 2025 after an analytic thinking of 754 aircraft operated by sextet scheduled airlines, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Among these carriers, the Air India Group and IndiGo accounted for the highest number of such cases.In a written response to the House, minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol said the aviation regulator carried out 3,890 surveillance inspections and conducted 56 regulatory audits as part of its planned oversight activities during the year.ALSO READ | UK demands explanation from Air India over fuel switch incident, warns of regulatory actionHe added that officials also carried out 84 surveillance checks of foreign aircraft (SOFA). In addition, 492 ramp inspections were conducted to confirm compliance with safety and operational norms.Half of audited planes show repetitive defectsAccording to the analysis, nearly half of the aircraft checked for technical issues across Indian airlines were found to have repeated faults.The government said that 754 aircraft operated by six scheduled airlines were reviewed for recurring snags since January 2025. Of these, 377 aircraft were marked for repetitive defects. Meanwhile, the aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also carried out 3,890 surveillance inspections, 56 regulatory audits, 84 surveillance checks of foreign aircraft (SOFA) and 492 ramp checks as part of its planned surveillance activities.In reply to another query, the minister said that in 2022, the DGCA had 637 sanctioned technical posts. He added that to deal with manpower shortages in the coming years, restructuring has been undertaken and the number of sanctioned technical posts has been raised to 1,063.Which airline topped the list?Data showed that 405 IndiGo aircraft were examined, of which 148 were found to have repetitive defects, as of February 3.Out of 166 Air India aircraft analysed, 137 were flagged for repeated defects. Similarly, 54 Air India Express aircraft were identified for repetitive defects out of 101 aircraft reviewed.Taken together, 267 aircraft operated by the Air India Group, including Air India and Air India Express, were analysed. Of these, 191 aircraft, or close to 72 per cent, were identified for repetitive defects.The data also showed that 16 aircraft were found to have recurring defects out of 43 SpiceJet planes analysed. In the case of Akasa Air, 14 aircraft were identified for repetitive defects out of 32 aircraft reviewed.Air India reacts to dataReacting to the figures, an Air India spokesperson told news agency PTI, “We have, out of an abundance of caution, carried out checks across our fleet. Hence, the numbers are higher.”A senior Air India executive said that aircraft checks cover different kinds of equipment, which are classified into A, B, C and D categories based on priority or urgency.“In the case of Air India, most of the concerns fall under category D. This includes items such as seats, tray tables and screens on the back of seats. These issues are not linked to aircraft safety,” the executive said.He added that these matters would also be addressed as the retrofit programme for narrow-body aircraft is implemented over the next two years.With inputs from agencies