Safety first: DGCA is right in grounding Airbus A320neo planes

It's not the first time. The government had grounded all 14 A320 aircraft flown by Indian Airlines in 1990 after the crash of an Airbus plane that resulted in the death of 97 persons

The decision by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last week to ground 11 Airbus A320neo planes fitted with engines made by American aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney after recurring malfunctions should be welcomed as it was taken to secure the safety of fliers. The directive followed in the wake of instances of in-flight engine shutdowns and rejected takeoffs, but the immediate trigger was an emergency landing by an Indigo aircraft with 186 passengers on board. Since then, the number of grounded Neo planes has risen to 15, resulting in cancellation of 600 flights by Indigo and GoAir in