HC direction to DGCA on providing info about aircraft age

The Madras High Court today directed the Director General of Civil Aviation to consider the feasibility of furnishing information about the age of aircraft to passengers who travel in it.
Advocate M Purushothaman had filed a petition seeking a direction to DGCA to direct all airlines to inform the passengers about the age of the aircraft.
"Courts are not experts in this field. As to whether the request of the petitioner is something which is feasible and desirable, it would be for DGCA, New Delhi, to consider. The writ petition is closed," the First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan said.

"As the travelling public entrusting their lives in the hands of the aircraft operators, the passengers have every right to be informed about the age of the aircraft in which they are going to travel," the petitioner said, citing air crashes involving old aircraft, besides aborted landings among others.
"The travelling public would consider it prudent that a recently built aircraft is more safe to travel," the petitioner said.
Purushothaman said he made a representation in this regard to DGCA on May 6, 2013 but had not received any response following which he filed the present plea.