Air proximity incidents have reduced by 25% in 2 years, says DGCA

The DGCA said that the number of plane landings through "unstabilised approaches" per thousand such approaches has decreased by 23 per cent and met the target

The number of aircraft proximity incidents have reduced by 25 per cent in 2023, compared to the previous two years, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated on Wednesday.

Air proximity refers to a situation when two planes come too close mid-air and pose a risk of collision.

The regulator also mentioned that the number of ground proximity warning system (GPWS) alerts, an aircraft safety feature that informs pilots when the plane is at risk of crashing into the ground, have also reduced by 92 per cent during the same time period.

The regulator did not reveal the exact number of such incidents that took place in 2023, but it stated that these reductions assisted it in meeting the targets set under National Aviation Safety Plan (NASP). Multiple targets are set annually under the NASP, which are then assessed by the DGCA through its annual safety review.

About this review, the DGCA stated: "This data-driven approach ensures a firm embedding of the safety culture in the aviation growth trajectory and provides a robust process to identify emerging safety issues and continually refine existing procedures."

"The safety performance assessment, when compared to the past two years, indicates that the number of risk bearing Airprox (air proximity incidents) per million flights over Indian airspace has reduced by 25 per cent and achieved the target," it mentioned.

"??The number of GPWS/EGPWS warning per 10,000 departures has reduced by 92 per cent and achieved the target. This reduces the risk of controlled flight into terrain," it stated. EGPWS is an advanced version of GPWS that uses GPS and a digital terrain database to provide more accurate warnings, including terrain avoidance.

The DGCA said that the number of plane landings through "unstabilised approaches" per thousand such approaches have decreased by 23 per cent and met the target. "This reduces the risk of runway excursions and abnormal runway contact," it added. 

An unstabilised approach is when an aircraft's approach to landing deviates from the set criteria for speed, descent rate, or alignment, potentially compromising a safe landing.