DGCA cracks down on private air charters

Cracking down on private air charters, DGCA today refused to allow a private aircraft to take off from Delhi for violating safety norms and dismissed the pilot of Reliance Industries who was not carrying his license while on duty.
In Mumbai, officials of the aviation regulator also held up two such flights -- one of L&T and the other of Poonawalla Aviation company -- on the same grounds today, DGCA sources said.
In Delhi, a Hawker 800 XP of SRC Aviation, which was to fly to Colombo on a chartered flight, was not allowed to take off for several hours as DGCA officials, conducting the checks, found several safety violations, like absence of life jackets or minimum equipment list, the sources said.

Similar violations were also found in the Falcon 900 plane of Poonawallah, which landed at Mumbai from Agra, they said, adding that L&T's aircraft also violated safety norms.
The action comes at a time when private planes and helicopters are being heavily used as charters to fly political leaders across the country on poll campaign.
Almost a week ago, DGCA officials conducted surprise checks and grounded a Reliance Industries-owned 14-seater Falcon 900EX and suspended its pilot for violating safety norms.
While the aircraft was released after the deficiencies were removed, the sources said the Reliance pilot has now been dismissed.