Page 35 - Dgca

AI 'pee' gate: DGCA rejects plea to revoke suspension of pilot's licence

Aviation regulator DGCA has rejected the plea to revoke the suspension of the licence of an Air India pilot in connection with the urination incident onboard New York-Delhi flight in November last year, according to a source. The licence of the pilot was suspended for three months by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on January 20. A joint forum of six unions had also appealed to the regulator to revoke the suspension of the pilot's licence. On Wednesday, the source said the appeal of the pilot to revoke the licence suspension has been rejected. In connection with the urination incident that happened onboard the Air India flight on November 26, 2022, the regulator had suspended the licence of the pilot for three months, imposed a penalty of Rs 30 lakh on the airline and Rs 3 lakh on the director of the carrier's in-flight services. The enforcement action was taken by the DGCA citing various lapses in reporting about the incident, which came to the regulator's notice

Air India's order for 470 aircraft will be worth $70 billion: CEO Wilson

Campbell Wilson added that the process of integration of Vistara with Air India is underway and is now awaiting approval from regulatory bodies

DGCA approves modification for Hindustan-228 aircraft with 19 passengers

A new variant of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's aircraft 'Hindustan 228-201 LW' has been approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), HAL announced on Monday. This variant has maximum take-off weight of 5,695 kg with 19 passenger capability, the Bengaluru-headquartered HAL said in a statement. With this modification, the aircraft would fall in the Sub 5,700 kg aircraft category, it said. "This variant provides several operational benefits for operators such as reduced pilot qualification requirement enabling pilots with Commercial Pilot License to fly the aircraft, enhanced availability of pilot pool for the aircraft and reduced operational cost," HAL said. In addition, the new variant will result in reduced training requirement for flying and ground crew including aircraft maintenance engineers, it was stated.

Delhi-bound IndiGo flight diverted to Ahmedabad due to bird hit: DGCA

A Delhi-bound IndiGo aircraft originating from Surat was diverted to Ahmedabad after a bird hit during a climb at Surat, said DGCA in an official statement on Sunday

Urinating incident unfortunate, efforts were made to cover it up : DGCA

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) chief Arun Kumar has described the Air India urination incident as "unfortunate", and said that there were efforts to cover it up

DGCA plans to hire 400 tech staff in 1-2 yrs; increase offices to 19: Chief

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) plans to ramp up its technical staff to 1,100 by hiring another 400 people in the next one to two years as well as increase the number of offices to 19 as the watchdog strengthens the safety oversight capabilities, according to its chief Arun Kumar. Kumar, who will be superannuating on February 28 after being at the helm for nearly four years, described his tenure as a "roller coaster ride" during which various steps were taken to improve aviation safety and the regulator also dealt with multiple headwinds, including engine issues and safety concerns over SpiceJet. India's aviation safety oversight ranking jumping to the 55th position from 112th place earlier under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) coordinated validation mission, rollout of eGCA for processes at the regulator, introduction of regulations for transgenders who want to be pilots as well as compulsory breath analyser tests for air traffic controllers are

Air India Express safety woes linger as jet makes emergency landing

Flight to Saudi Arabia from Kozhikode lands at Thiruvananthapuram after two hours

SpiceJet Q3 profit surges five-fold to Rs 107 crore as air travel grows

India's SpiceJet Ltd reported a nearly five-fold surge in third-quarter profit on Friday, as the embattled low-cost carrier benefited from soaring demand for air travel

Aviation regulator DGCA recommends measures to boost mental health of crew

The regulator is of the view that the pressures and stressors at workplace and personal life cannot be addressed through these professional skills, procedures or knowledge

DGCA proposes steps for mental health of crew, air traffic controllers

To ensure mental wellbeing of flight crew and air traffic controllers, civil aviation watchdog DGCA has proposed various measures, including mental health assessment during the medical assessments and peer support programme. A circular will be issued to airlines and Airports Authority of India (AAI) to put in place the necessary provisions to implement the recommendations, a senior DGCA official said on Wednesday. Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) come under AAI. Amid concerns about the mental health of flight crew and ATCOs, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had set up an expert panel. The panel identified three major domains where measures can be taken. They are "mental health assessment during the medical assessments, Peer Support Programme (PSP), and pre-employment psychological assessment," the DGCA said in a release. The expert panel comprised experienced DGCA officers, air safety, clinical aerospace medicine and mental health experts (psychologists). The aim w

SpiceJet board to consider fundraising to cover outstanding liabilities

SpiceJet on Tuesday said its board will meet on Friday to consider options to raise funds as well as to convert certain outstanding liabilities into equity shares of the company. The no-frills airline, which has been grappling with multiple headwinds, including legal woes, is looking to raise fresh capital through issuance of eligible securities to qualified institutional buyers. Besides, the carrier plans to issue equity shares on preferential basis consequent upon conversion of outstanding liabilities into equity shares of the company, subject to applicable regulatory approvals, according to a filing to the BSE. Both plans will be taken up by the board of directors during its meeting scheduled for February 24. Specific details about the proposals could not be immediately ascertained. In December last year, SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh told shareholders that the company is engaged with investment bankers to raise up to USD 200 million in order to achieve its

Vistara hikes salaries of pilots, cabin crew by 8% as part of appraisal

Full service carrier Vistara will hike salaries of its pilots and cabin crew by up to 8 per cent from April amid deployment of higher capacities to meet rising travel demand, according to a source. The source also claimed that some 30 pilots have quit the airline in the last six months and are serving notice period after getting job offers mainly from the Gulf carriers. On Thursday, a senior Vistara official confirmed the salary hike for the pilots and cabin crew but denied that 30 pilots have left the airline. The official also said the salary hike decision is part of the annual appraisal exercise and not triggered by any other development, adding that some pilots changed their decision to quit in view of the long-term opportunities at the airline, which is to be merged with Air India. The official did not provide any specific details about the number of pilots who quit or are serving the mandatory six-month notice period. Queries sent to Vistara remained unanswered. "Vistara

HAL receives DGCA approval for indigenously developed 'black boxes'

The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd said on Thursday it has received the Indian Technical Standard Order (ITSO) authorisation from Directorate General of Civil Aviation for its indigenously developed Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR). The ITSO is a minimum performance standard for specified materials, parts, processes, and appliances used on civil aircraft, the Bengaluru-headquartered HAL noted in a statement. CVR and FDR are popularly known as 'black boxes'. However, these recorders are painted in orange colour to help in their recovery following an aircraft accident. CVR and FDR are used to record critical flight parameters and audio environment in a crash proof memory which is later used for investigation of aircraft incident or accident, it was noted.

Air India may find it cheaper to buy jets, thanks to Tata's credit profile

On the strength of its excellent financial track record, Tata Group was able to secure Power-By-Hour (PBH) agreements with engine manufacturers GE and Rolls Royce

State-run HAL to provide maintenance support for GA-ASI's MQ-9B engines

State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will provide maintenance support services for engines of American MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, considered one of the most sophisticated armed drones globally. The HAL will provide the maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the operations of MQ-9B drones in India, officials said on Wednesday. The announcement of the project comes amid India's ongoing talks with the US to procure 30 MQ-9B armed drones at a cost of over USD 3 billion primarily to crank up its surveillance apparatus along the frontier with China as well as in the Indian Ocean region. The HAL and US defence major General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI), the manufacturer of the MQ9Bs,, announced the collaboration on the MRO (maintenance repair and overhaul) services for the drones on the sidelines of Aero India-2023 at the Yelahanka air base complex. In 2020, the Indian Navy had taken on lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones fro

Uphold ethical standards or face disciplinary action: AI to cabin crew

Air India has told its cabin crew to uphold ethical standards or face disciplinary action if their actions negatively affect the airline's reputation

Information provided by KSIDC on Sabarimala airport being analysed

The civil aviation ministry on Monday said various information, including about land availability, provided by the Kerala government's KSIDC with respect to the proposed Sabarimala airport are being analysed. In June 2020, the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) had submitted a proposal under Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy to the ministry for grant of site clearance for development of the Sabarimala airport in the state. The KSIDC's proposal was considered in consultation with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Ministry of Defence (MoD) and KSIDC, as per GFA Policy. "Based on the observations of AAI and DGCA, KSIDC was requested to submit a Techno-Economic Feasibility Study (TEFS) Report. The Final TEFS report was submitted by KSIDC in June 2022 and the same was shared with AAI and DGCA," Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. According to the minister, the ..

Air Asia flight grounded by DGCA in Pune after a tyre found cracked

An Air Asia aircraft was "grounded" by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation at a runway in Pune on Sunday after one of the flight's tyres was found "cracked", officials said

DGCA imposes Rs 20 lakh fine on Air Asia for failing to discharge duties

It has also asked for removal of the airline's Head of Training from his position for three months

Indian civil aviation system jumps to 55th rank in latest ICAO audit: DGCA

The audit was done in five areas, following which India received an updated overall effective implementation (EI) of 85.65%