Threefold increase in air safety violations in 2016: Govt

The number of air safety violations committed by flight crew has grown threefold in 2016 in comparison to 2015, the government said today.
There were a total 176 instances of violations by flight crew in the year 2016 as compared to a total of 49 such cases in 2015, as per the information shared by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha in Lok Sabha today.
"It has been observed that air safety violations of some of the airlines have increased as compared to the year 2015. This is mainly due to violations by flight crew," Sinha said.
Flouting of Flight and Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) is the most common offence committed by crew members as different airlines reported 105 such instances.

FDTL is a set of rules prescribed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for airline operators for managing fatigue of crew members. This includes flight duty periods and rest period limitations.
SpiceJet led in this category with 63 violations, followed by Jet Airways with 27 and Air India with seven violations.
The second most frequently committed breach is related to breathalyser testing. Here, Air India leads with 22 cases of infringement followed by 12 violations by Jet Airways crew and nine violations by Indigo crew.
"The DGCA conducts surveillance and regulatory audits to detect any deviations to the laid down regulations. In addition airlines are also required to conduct internal audits to check compliance and ensure safe operations," Sinha said.