Suresh Prabhu seeks regular safety compliance report about airlines

Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu has sought regular "safety compliance report" about airlines, an official said Thursday amid instances of safety-related issues in the aviation sector.

Besides, the ministry is looking at also having a third party professional organisation to look into various safety aspects at Air India, the official said.

The development comes two weeks after the minister ordered a safety audit of all scheduled airlines and airports following an incident involving a Jet Airways flight.

On September 20, at least 30 passengers on a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Jaipur suffered nose and ear bleeding after the crew "forgot" to turn on a switch that controls cabin air pressure.

The official said that in order to have continuous updates about safety of airlines, the minister has decided to get regular "safety compliance report". The issue was discussed at a review meeting Thursday, he added.

Last month, Prabhu directed officials concerned to prepare a comprehensive safety audit plan, which involves assessment of safety parameters of all scheduled airlines, aerodromes, flying training schools and MROs (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Organisations).

In recent times, there have been incidents of mid-air engine failures, involving the Pratt and Whitney (P&W) engine-powered Airbus A320 neo planes being operated by domestic budget carriers IndiGo and GoAir.

During the review meeting, which was attended by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha and Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey, the preparation of 'Vision 2035' document for the sector was also discussed.

The official said that consultancy KPMG is expected to make a presentation to the ministry on various aspects related to the proposed document.

According to the official, there was also discussion about organising an aviation summit in Mumbai in January next year.

The Civil Aviation Minister has sent out invitation letters to ministers of 115 countries for participating in the summit. So far, 45 countries have accepted the invitation, the official added.