Are operations of Indian airlines safe enough?

Moneycontrol Bureau

A Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) check on the safety procedures followed by the country’s leading aviation companies has revealed glaring lapses, a report in the Economic Times today claims quoting persons privy to the development.According to the report, the aviation regulator found serious violations such as fuel leaking into fuselage and panels of emergency doors missing for aircraft operated by some of the scheduled airlines.The violation of safety regulations was even worse in case of charter flights: some companies were found operating flights without safety equipments such as life jackets or breathing equipments.The report comes on the heels of a spate of recent incidents in which serious questions were raised over whether Indian airlines – many of which of have been bleeding for years – follow recommended safety standards.Recently, the DGCA ordered an enquiry into an incident involving a Jet Airways Mumbai-Brussels flight that suddenly lost aptitude of about 5,000 feet mid-flight. Worse, the carrier did not even report the incident and the regulator came to know of it via an anonymous tipoff.Before that, a Mumbai-Delhi SpiceJet flight was held up for several hours for what was said to be a technical snag, following which an audit into the carrier’s engineering and financial health was announced.While the regulator suspended 13 pilots and a training manager at GoAir after it was discovered the carrier was letting the pilots fly without imparting them adequate training.These come amid the backdrop of mounting losses at several airline companies. Barring IndiGo, which has consistently been profitable, and GoAir, which eked out a small profit in 2014, the three other major carriers have piled up years of losses.In 2014, SpiceJet and Jet Airways posted a record loss of about Rs 1,000 crore and Rs 4,000 crore, respectively, while Air India posted a loss of Rs 2,000 crore.While aviation companies claim they are extremely mindful about following safety standards and that there should be no link between their respective financial conditions and whether it could result in compromises over safety, a clear link between the two has been proved in the past.In 2012, a DGCA report had found the now-grounded Kingfisher Airlines was resorting to cannibalising parts from some of its fleet to keep other aircraft flying and had recommended for cancellation of the carrier’s licence as its “financial stress was likely to impinge on safety”.The DGCA itself came in for flak after its US counterpart, Federal Aviation Administration, downgraded its rating from Category I to II in January this year – meaning the US authority was not sure of the DGCA’s ability to regulate the Indian aviation sector and carriers.The downgrade, which put India on par with countries such as Zimbabwe and Uganda, was based upon an acute shortage of inspecting staff at the DGCA.The Indian regulator has since been looking to shore up its staff by reportedly hiring pilots from scheduled airlines at market salaries, but is still struggling in its endeavour.