Page 14 - Dgca

DGCA suspends approval for flying training firm Alchemist Aviation

Aviation watchdog DGCA has suspended the approval for Alchemist Aviation following an audit done in the wake of a fatal trainee aircraft accident that found the flying training organisation being non-compliant with regulations. The move comes less than two weeks after the organisation's trainee aircraft was involved in the fatal accident that killed the two people on board -- instructor and trainee pilot. Following the accident on August 20, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducted a special safety audit of Alchemist Aviation on August 23 and 24. "During the audit, several serious deficiencies and non-compliances of regulatory provisions were found," DGCA said in a release on Thursday. Alchemist Aviation is into local flying at Jamshedpur Sonari airport in Jharkhand. The regulator said it has suspended the approval granted to Alchemist Aviation to operate as a Flying Training Organisation. "The FTO will have to mandatorily undergo a de novo rectification proces

Air India fined Rs 99 lakh for operating flight with unqualified pilots

Regulator says incident in July had 'significant safety ramifications'

DGCA slaps Rs 90 lakh fine on Air India for flying with unqualified crew

Air India Director of Operations and the Director of Training also face Rs 6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh fines, respectively

DGCA suspends approval of Bhopal-based International Aircraft Sales

Aviation regulator DGCA has suspended the approval for Bhopal-based aircraft maintenance organisation International Aircraft Sales Pvt Ltd following concerns over its compliance with regulatory standards. The decision follows an audit of the entity that was done after an aircraft crashed due to engine failure at Guna in Madhya Pradesh on August 11. The Cessna 152 aircraft VT-BBB of Belagavi Aviation and Sport Enterprises that had crashed was powered by the engine whose overhaul was done at the International Aircraft Sales, according to a release. It was also the first flight operated with the overhauled engine. Following the crash, DGCA conducted a special audit. "The findings of the audit have raised serious concerns on the maintenance standards being followed by the organisation," DGCA said in the release on Thursday. In view of the significant safety concerns, the regulator said the maintenance organisation approval of International Aircraft Sales has been suspended with immed

SpiceJet's domestic market share falls to 3.1% in July, shows DGCA data

SpiceJet had recorded a market share of 16 per cent in March 2020, just before COVID-19 spread across India. The airline has been recording losses for the last six years

Air India, Vistara get DGCA nod to integrate aircraft line maintenance ops

This strategic integration will merge Vistara's Line Maintenance activities under Air India's facilities and scope

AI, Vistara get DGCA nod to integrate aircraft line maintenance operations

Aviation regulator DGCA has approved integrating the aircraft line maintenance operations of Air India and Vistara as the two airlines move close to their merger. In a release on Friday, Air India said the integration will help in optimising resources to enhance operational performance and reduce aircraft turnaround times to bolster on-time performance. "With a unified maintenance team and resources, Air India will be better positioned to service a mixed fleet of wide body and narrow body aircraft, enhancing schedule integrity and reliability of operations," it added. The two airlines, part of the Tata Group, have secured the CAR (Civil Aviation Requirement) 145 approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to integrate their aircraft line maintenance operations. Vistara is a joint venture between Tatas and Singapore Airlines. So far, Air India has in-house line maintenance at 12 stations in the country. "Enhanced synergy of the combined resources will also ensur

FIP grouping flags pilot fatigue; urges for revised norms implementation

Raising concerns about pilot fatigue, pilots' grouping FIP has urged the civil aviation ministry to take steps for implementation of revised norms on flight duty and rest period at the earliest. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), which has more than 6,000 members, had earlier also written to the civil aviation ministry on the revised CAR (Civil Aviation Requirement) for pilots after DGCA postponed their implementation. The revised CAR related to flight duty time limitation seeks to provide more rest time for pilots amid rising concerns over pilot fatigue. In March, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) decided to postpone its implementation. In a letter to Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, FIP President CS Randhawa has requested him to direct DGCA to implement the revised CAR at the earliest. "...the action of the DGCA not only endangers pilot safety but also undermines the safety of passengers, which the implementation of the revised CAR could prevent," the

Considering terrain, only 19-seater planes can fly to Kargil: Govt

The government is making all efforts to start civilian flight services to Kargil and only 19-seater aircraft can be operated to the airport there, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Thursday. The minister told the Lok Sabha that considering the runway at the existing Kargil airport, terrain difficulties as well as landing and take off protocols, only 19-seater aircraft can be operated. In this regard, efforts are going on with airlines to look at starting civilian flights to Kargil under the UDAN scheme, he added. UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) is the civil aviation ministry's regional air connectivity scheme. An amount of Rs 9.2 crore has been sanctioned for the airport and some electrical works have also been done. "We are making all efforts to start civilian flights to Kargil... if some airlines say they are ready to provide connectivity from Kargil to Srinagar or Jammu, then we are ready to do the remaining work and provide for the civilian services," the minister

DGCA probes AI Express crew strike that caused flight cancellations

Aviation regulator DGCA is investigating the Air India Express cabin crew strike incident in May that had resulted in several flight cancellations and the airline will be penalised in case there were any non-compliance with regulations, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Thursday. In response to queries in the Lok Sabha related to flight cancellations, Naidu said the ministry was ensuring that there were no cancellations and delays as he emphasised that Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) were in place to ensure that passengers received compensation. "We acknowledge that there has been an issue with Air India Express There were some internal issues with the crew as Air India Express was merging with AirAsia India and a mass strike happened (on May 7)," the minister said during the Question Hour. There were a lot of cancellations due to the strike. "Once this issue started, the ministry got involved, DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) facilitated a lot of ...

DGCA sets up internal working groups to develop regulatory norms for eVTOLs

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has set up internal working groups for studying various aspects related to operating electric air taxis and develop appropriate regulations, the government said on Monday. With respect to electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) capable aircraft for carrying passengers, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has established the Advanced Air Mobility Study Group in light of rapid technological advances of new entrants and the potential impact on the aviation ecosystem. "In tandem with that, DGCA has also constituted internal working groups for studying various aspects related to operation of eVTOL to assess and develop appropriate regulations/ requirements suitable for India," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply. He said these working groups will study relevant regulations published by other countries/ civil aviation authorities, seek inputs from the industry

News updates: Microsoft says about 8.5 million of its devices affected by CrowdStrike-related outage

Catch all the news from around the world here

Indian aviation sets record H1FY24 traffic; IndiGo, Tata Group thrive

Although June 2024 saw a decline in domestic passenger traffic in India compared to May 2024, it was the best June on record with 13.6 million passengers compared to 12.4 million in June 2023

India records 79 million domestic air passengers in H1FY24, up 4%: DGCA

In June 2024 domestic airlines flew more than 13.2 million passengers in India, that is around 5.76% more than 12.4 million passengers during the same period last year

Navi Mumbai airport to be operational in March 2025: MoS Murlidhar Mohol

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Saturday said the Navi Mumbai International Airport is slated to commence operations in March 2025. Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu and Mohol visited the airport site and reviewed the progress of the ongoing work. "Going by the progress of the work, the airport will be operational in March next year. It will enhance connectivity with neighbouring Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Kalyan, and western Maharashtra," Mohol said, highlighting its international standards and anticipated annual footfall of nearly 20 million passengers. He expressed positivity towards naming the airport after late PWP leader DB Patil. He also assured that issues about compensation for project-affected persons (PAP) would be resolved through discussions with management. "We are committed to ensuring that people who have contributed land for the airport project are not displaced," the minister clarified, emphasising the government's awareness

DGCA issues safety rules for ground handling service providers at airports

Aviation watchdog DGCA has come out with safety standards for ground handling service providers at airports, including the compulsory safety clearance requirement, as part of efforts to ensure safe ground operations amid rising air traffic. The norms also come against the backdrop of ground incidents at some airports that have resulted in damage to aircraft. The new Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), prepared after detailed consultations, will strengthen the oversight mechanism, DGCA said in a release on Wednesday. It also specifies the training and competency requirements of ground personnel who are part of ground operations at the airports. Ground Handling Service Providers (GHSPs) are required to obtain safety clearance within six months from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The six-month time period is from July 8, when the CAR was issued by the regulator. "The robust safety mechanism to be implemented prospectively by GHSPs would help in prevention and mitig

World's 10 best airports for 2024: Qatar's Hamad Int'l Airport ranks first

The data analysis spans from May 1, 2023, to April 30, 2024, and includes 17,550 airport ratings that were collected by surveying passengers from 64 countries about their most recently used airports

51 flights cancelled, 27 diverted at Mumbai airport; train services hit too

City records heaviest single-day July rainfall since 2019

Magellanic Cloud's shares rise 10% as drone spraying system gets DGCA nod

Shares of Magellanic Cloud rose up to 9.90 per cent, hitting its 52-week high at Rs 688 per share on the BSE in Monday's intraday deals

Did Air India divert a flight for Indian cricket team? DGCA seeks report

The DGCA has asked Air India for an explanation after reports surfaced that a scheduled Newark to Delhi flight was diverted to Barbados to transport India's T20 World Cup-winning cricket team