New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) The number of safety violations by scheduled Indian airlines reported during the year 2024 was 22, the government said on Thursday.

Also, the number of in-flight engine shutdown occurrences to scheduled Indian airlines reported during the same year was 21.

“All the occurrences are investigated to find the cause and prevent the recurrence,” Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told the Lok Sabha.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has established comprehensive Civil Aviation Regulations to ensure the safe operation and maintenance of aircraft. These regulations are continuously updated and aligned with international standards, including those of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the minister added.

Meanwhile, the aviation regulator has taken action against 19 safety-related violations by airlines so far in 2025.

In an earlier written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Mohol shared detailed data on airline non-compliance, safety budgets, and staffing gaps across key aviation bodies.

He said the DGCA has stepped up enforcement over the past five years. The number of actions taken against scheduled airlines has risen steadily from just two in 2021 to seven in 2022, 10 in 2023, and 22 in 2024, before reaching 19 so far this year.

These actions include financial penalties, suspensions of approvals or authorisations, and official warnings. The violations recorded by the regulator cover a wide range of safety lapses. These include non-compliance with breath analyser rules for crew, failures in flight data monitoring, unauthorised cockpit access, and poor-quality assurance audits.

Other breaches involved misuse of flight simulators without DGCA approval, deploying crew without mandatory training, and violating Flight Duty Time Limitations.

Maintenance-related shortcomings were also reported, such as failure to follow proper procedures, deficiencies found during spot checks, and even cases where aircraft were flown with expired emergency equipment. The minister said the government has been allocating funds to strengthen DGCA’s safety and regulatory oversight, with the yearly budget details provided in an annexure to Parliament.

–IANS

na/vd