The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is taking at least a couple of months to issue licences to trained pilots as the regulator is grappling with the shortage of staff at key positions, according to sources. After training, individuals need to obtain a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) to be eligible to fly commercial flights. Sources in the civil aviation ministry said that at present, a pilot has to wait for a couple of months to get his or her licence and the pendency time is likely to go up in the coming months. "The Directorate of Training and Licensing (DTL), under the Operations Department which deals with licensing, has a total of 129 sanctioned posts of assistant directors. Of those, 92 posts or almost 72 per cent of the total strength are lying vacant," one of the sources said. Till July 2022, the DGCA had only 72 sanctioned posts of assistant directors. In August 2022, the ministry created 57 new posts and the sanctioned strength rose to 129 positions. "However
According to DGCA rules, pilots and cabin crew members must undergo pre-flight breathalyzer tests
IndiGo maintained its lead as the country's largest airline with its market share pegged at 63.3 per cent in August
The runway was closed for almost two hours and reopened after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation gave clearance following safety checks, a representative for the airport said
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken up the matter with Pratt and Whitney (P & W) regarding the three incidents of engine failure in IndiGo flights in quick succession leading to In-flight Shut down (IFSD) demanding Original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) urgent intervention of the highest level for suitable mitigation.The matter was taken up with Pratt & Whitney (P & W) on September 1. DGCA said that IndiGo A-321 neo aircraft VT-IUJ, while on a flight from Madurai to Mumbai was involved in an incident of a commanded In-flight Shut down (IFSD) on 29/08/2023, wherein the crew observed high vibration and Low oil pressure on one engine, followed by engine stall."Upon landing at Mumbai airport, Metallic chips were found on the oil chip detector. On the same day, in a similar incident, IndiGo A-321 neo aircraft VT-IUF, while on a flight from Kolkatta to Bangalore was involved in a commanded IFSD, wherein similar observations were made by the crew on the .
Domestic air passenger traffic rose 22.81 per cent to 1.24 crore in August this year as against 1.01 crore in the year-ago period, according to DGCA data released on Thursday. Budget carrier IndiGo flew 78.67 lakh passengers and accounted for 63.3 per cent of the total domestic passenger volume during the month, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. Air India, now owned by the Tata Group, and its wholly-owned subsidiary AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India), transported 12.12 lakh and 9.78 lakh passengers, respectively, during August, DGCA said. During the month, Air India's market share was 9.8 per cent while that of AIX Connect was 7.1 per cent. Vistara -- a 51:49 joint venture airline between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines that and is in the process of getting merged with Air India -- flew 12.17 lakh passengers with a market share of 9.8 per cent, DGCA said. The three airlines -- Air India, Vistara and AirAsia India -- together flew a total of 33.07 lakh ...
Last month, a DGCA official revealed that the aviation regulator was conducting an extensive investigation into two separate incidents involving PW engine malfunctions on IndiGo flights
This comes amid IndiGo grounding nearly 40 planes due to a Pratt & Whitney engine issue, the report said
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The DGCA told the airline to remove this confusion so that there is a clear line of communication between the regulator, accountable manager and chief of flight safety
As a result, Air India submitted the necessary paperwork, which included newly developed SOPs for preventive maintenance checks and a quality manual for the simulators, to the DGCA
Aviation regulator DGCA has given a conditional approval to Air India for simulator training of pilots at the airline's facilities in Hyderabad and Mumbai after certain deficiencies were rectified, according to officials. Last month, the watchdog had temporarily suspended simulator training activities at the two facilities due to certain lapses. A senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday said a conditional approval has been given for 30 days after the deficiencies were rectified. "An internal audit is to be conducted within the 30-day period, and after the review, the findings are to be shared with DGCA," the official said and added that the training had remained suspended for 10 days. There was no comment from Air India. An Air India official said training has resumed at the Hyderabad facility and the training at the Mumbai facility will begin once the next batch is ready. The Hyderabad facility provides simulator training for pilots of ...
Air India will induct two A350 aircraft this year for which it has received DGCA approval and expects to have six such planes in its fleet by the end of March 2024, according to officials. Steered by the Tata Group, the loss-making Air India is expanding its fleet as well as operations. In February, the carrier placed an order for 470 aircraft, including 40 A350-900/1000 planes. The officials in the know said, Air India has received the Letter of Type Acceptance (LoTA) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for inducting two A350 aircraft -- A350-900 and A350-1000. Both planes will be powered by Rolls Royce engines. An official at the airline said it will be inducting the two wide body aircraft this year. By the end of March next year, Air India expects to have a total of six A350 planes, the official added. Currently, Air India, which was taken over by the Tata Group from the government in January last year, has a fleet of 126 planes. This includes 52 wide body Bo
Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) might not hold radio communication skill tests, also known as Radio Telephony exam, for pilots in 2024, according to sources. On May 1, 2023, the Ministry of Communication, which presently conducts the test, officially handed over the responsibility of conducting the test to DGCA from 2024 onwards after aviation experts and pilots' bodies alleged lack of expertise and malpractices. However, the regulator has initiated a process to scrap the post of officers responsible to hold the exam. Radio communication skill tests, officially called Radio Telephony Restricted License or RTR(A) test, is conducted for pilots by the Wireless Planning & Coordination (WPC) wing of the Ministry of Communication to assess if they are fully trained to communicate with Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) for all kinds of situations. Radio telephone is a communication system operated between air crew members and pilots to connect with ATCs and ..
Go First has 2,198 employees on its payroll, of which 1,000 are serving their notice period. The airline has 103 captains, 26 co-pilots, and 374 cabin crew staff
DGCA has suspended the airline's both simulators; pilots' license renewal process has stopped
If pilot licenses and certificates lapse, A-I's international and domestic flights could get impacted
Aviation watchdog DGCA has suspended simulator training activities for A320 pilots at Air India's facility in Hyderabad, close on the heels of suspending the training activities for Boeing pilots at the Tata Group-owned airline's facility in Mumbai, according to sources. The two decisions by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in a span of just three days could pose operational challenges for Air India as currently the carrier cannot train narrow-body and wide-body pilots at its own training facilities. "The DGCA has now suspended the simulator training activities at Air India's facility for A320 pilots as well owing to certain lapses observed during an inspection," one of the sources told PTI on Wednesday. There was no comment from Air India on the regulator's decision. Regarding the inspection findings, a senior Air India official said that "whatever advice has been given by the regulator in its observations, we are looking into it and taking corrective measures". T
Aviation regulator DGCA in close coordination with IndiGo is carrying out the "technical evaluation" of the engine issues faced by the airline's two aircraft on Tuesday, according to an official. Two flights of IndiGo, one from Kolkata to Bengaluru and another from Madurai to Mumbai suffered engine issues on Tuesday. In a statement, IndiGo said its flight 6E 455 from Kolkata to Bengaluru returned to Kolkata after take off due to a technical issue. The pilot followed standard operating procedures and landed back in Kolkata. The flight 6E-2012 operating from Madurai to Mumbai had a technical issue prior to landing in Mumbai and the pilot prioritised the landing in Mumbai, the airline said in a separate statement. The aircraft is held at Mumbai and will be back in operation after necessary maintenance, it added. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is doing the technical evaluation of both the incidents "in close coordination with the operator", the senior official at the
Pilot licenses may lapse; airline's flights could get impacted