Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has written to aviation regulator DGCA seeking reduction in "exorbitant" airfares to Prayagraj, which is hosting the Maha Kumbh Mela till February 26. The minister expressed concerns over high airfares, making it difficult for devotees to travel to the religious gathering. "The prices of airfares being exorbitantly high has made it difficult for people to make travel plans to attend Maha Kumbh," Joshi said in a social media post. Earlier this month, travel portal ixigo said bookings as well as airfares for flights to Prayagraj have jumped multi-fold as more people travel for the Maha Kumbh, with the air ticket prices rising up to 21 per cent for the Delhi-Prayagraj flights. The civil aviation ministry on Monday said steps are being taken to rationalise airfares. DGCA officials held a meeting with airline representatives last week, urging them to add more flights and rationalise ticket prices. Currently, 132 flights are operating with about .
IndiGo's share in domestic air passenger traffic increased from 60.5 per cent in 2023 to 61.9 per cent in 2024
Aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services operator services provider Haveus Aerotech Ltd on Wednesday announced that it has received aviation safety regulator DGCA's nod for offering maintenance services for certain aircraft parts that hold cargo and baggage. The MRO operator has received approval for Unit Load Devices and pallet maintenance services for its recently expanded Delhi facility, the company said in a statement. We have achieved a major milestone by becoming the first MRO in India to receive Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) CAR 145 approval for Unit Load Devices (ULD) and Pallets, the statement said. HaveUs AeroTech MD and CEO Anshul Bhargava said, We have received this approval for our recently-expanded Delhi facility as of now, very soon we will try and get the DGCA approval for the Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkatta facilities too. A ULD is a removable aircraft part, such as a pallet and net combination or a container, that holds cargo, baggage
During the inspection, the regulator found that electronic devices containing lithium batteries were being accepted without proper checks or verification of battery power
Aviation watchdog DGCA has withdrawn the Line Training Captain approval given to an Akasa Air pilot for lapses in landing of a passenger aircraft in March 2024, till further orders, according to sources. Besides, the permission given to the pilot for carrying Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) has been withdrawn. This is the latest incident of Akasa Air coming under regulatory scanner for lapses. In an order issued on Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in an audit of Akasa Air conducted in October last year found that the pilot had made a hard landing, which means the aircraft had made an abnormal contact with the runway, the sources said. The incident was closed with a counselling session and no corrective training was imparted to the pilot concerned, as per the order. DGCA found that the replies by the airline and the pilot to its show cause notices, issued in November 2024, were not satisfactory. As a result, the sources said DGCA has decided to withdraw t
Resentment among a section of Akasa Air pilots continued allegedly over training issues with these pilots seeking a detailed DGCA audit of the airline a day after the regulator ordered suspension of two senior airline officials for certain lapses, according to a communication. In a detailed communication to the civil aviation ministry and the DGCA on Saturday, the section of pilots has also mentioned that they are in the process of forming a pilots' union at the airline. Queries to Akasa Air on this issue remained unanswered. According to the communication, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has served 10 showcause notices to the airline in recent weeks for various alleged lapses. Earlier this month, allegations related to pilot training practices and attrition of pilots made by the section of pilots were termed baseless and untrue by the airline. On December 27, the DGCA ordered the suspension of Akasa Air's directors of operations and training for six months for ..
The regulator said an audit found that navigation skills of pilots were being conducted on simulators that weren't qualified for that kind of training
The regulator said an audit found that navigation skills of pilots were being conducted on simulators that weren't qualified for that kind of training
This is not the airline's first run-in with the regulator. In October, the DGCA imposed a Rs 30 lakh fine on Akasa Air for lapses in pilot training
The DGCA has imposed a Rs 10 lakh fine on Akasa Air for denying boarding to seven passengers on a Bengaluru-Pune flight in September and failing to provide required compensation
IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet and Air India Express have sought more time for the phased implementation of the revised flight duty norms as they flagged increased crew requirements and emphasised the need to put in place fatigue risk management system to monitor fatigue among the pilots. Sources said the airlines have informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that the norms can be operationalised in a phased manner starting from June 2025 at the earliest. However, with the implementation horizon still not clear for the norms, which were initially to come into effect from June this year, three pilots' bodies have told aviation watchdog DGCA to ensure that the new regulations be fully implemented from February 15 at the earliest, the sources said. By mid-February, fog season, which generally causes flight disruptions due to low visibility conditions, will be ending. The sources also said that pilots' associations are of the view that the CAR under which norms have been
Two major airlines IndiGo and Air India have told aviation regulator DGCA that the revised flight duty norms for pilots can be implemented only in a phased manner starting from June next year, according to sources. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation's revised Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) relates to flight duty time limitation seeks to provide more rest time for pilots amid concerns over pilot fatigue. Initially, the new norms were to come into effect from June 1 this year but was postponed. The pilots' bodies -- Indian Pilots Guild, Indian Commercial Pilots Association and Federation of Indian Pilots -- told the DGCA that they want the norms to be fully implemented at the earliest from February 15, the sources told PTI. IndiGo has informed the regulator that the CAR can be implemented starting from June next year, with weekly rest period for pilots to be increased from 36 hours to 40 hours, they said. The impact of the change will be assessed with a view to potentially
Airline opposes DGCA plan to extend 'night duty window'
This is the second show cause notice issued by the DGCA to Akasa Air this month
Aviation regulator DGCA has issued a show cause notice to Akasa Air for violation of norms related to the airline's operations manual, according to sources. When contacted, an Akasa Air spokesperson said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has raised certain findings for which they have issued a notice for clarification from the airline's flight operations team. So far this month, at least two show-cause notices issued by the regulator to the airline, which started flying in August 2022. Sources told PTI that the watchdog has found a violation with respect to the operations manual, which is required to be revised every six months. Citing the submissions made by SNV Aviation Pvt Ltd, which operates Akasa Air, the regulator said the revision cycle of the operations manual has exceeded the six-month cycle, which is in violation of certain provisions of Civil Aviation R (CAR), as per the sources. The show cause notice, dated December 16, has also mentioned that the Direct
Issues show-cause notice to airline after noticing poor maintenance standards during a spot check at Bengaluru airport
The airline had informed the DGCA that without this exemption, its entire flight operations could face a "cascading" impact
The implementation of the revised rules regarding duty and rest hours for pilots has already been delayed by over six months
Air India on Thursday said it has taken various steps, including adjusting flight schedules, and increasing the number of CAT-III trained pilots, among others, to deal with the issues of fog and poor visibility this winter season. Fog and poor visibility conditions impact a large number of flights every year, particularly those originating from Northern India. The Tata Group-owned Air India faced a Rs 30 lakh fine from the DGCA in January this year for not having enough pilots trained to fly in low visibility conditions ahead of the fog season. "Air India has adjusted flight schedules to minimise disruptions to long haul and metro-to-metro flights with onward connectivity during the fog window. It has also increased the number of CAT-III trained pilots who are certified to land in low visibility operations and CAT-III instrument landing system," Air India said without giving the number of such pilots. CAT III is an instrument landing system, which enables an aircraft to land in low
Aviation watchdog DGCA will soon come out with streamlined regulations for wet-leasing of planes by Indian airlines that will also entail enhanced oversight of the aircraft, amid airlines looking to operate more planes to meet rising travel demand. With persisting supply chain woes, there is a delay in aircraft deliveries and to meet the near-term needs, carriers are opting for planes on dry and wet leases. A senior official in the know told PTI that the efforts are on to streamline the regulations for wet-leasing of planes to assist in the growth of the aviation. "Realities of the engine problems cannot be wished away suddenly and on the other side, the possible routes are also increasing all the time," the official said. Many planes of IndiGo are on the ground due to Pratt & Whitney engine issues and the number of such aircraft is slowly coming down. Generally, wet-leasing of an aircraft involves the leasing of foreign aircraft, along with crew, maintenance and insurance. The ..