DGCA finds 263 lapses during 23 audits of domestic airlines in a year 

Aviation safety watchdog DGCA on Wednesday said it has come across 263 lapses, including those requiring immediate corrective actions, during 23 audits of eight domestic airlines carried out in the last one year. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, however, said that higher number of audit findings or lapses for airlines with extensive operations is “entirely normal” against the backdrop of the increased lapses flagged during audits of Air India.

In the last one year, there have been a total of 93 audit findings with Tata Group-owned Air India (along with now merged Vistara) and Air India Express, as per data. These findings included 19 level-1 violations which are considered critical safety risks and require immediate corrective action by the air operator.

On Tuesday, sources had said that the DGCA has come across around 100 violations and observations related to Air India’s training, crew’s rest and duty period norms, and airfield qualification, among others. The watchdog had mentioned these violations in 51 audit findings of Air India.

DGCA in a statement said it conducts audits to enhance safety of operations and ensure compliance, and continuous improvement across all facets of airline operations.

“It should be emphasised that, for airlines with extensive operations and large fleet sizes, a higher number of audit findings is entirely normal.”

“The quantum and scale of their activities mean that such observations reflect the breadth and depth of their operations rather than any unusual lapse,” the statement said.

In the last one year, the data showed that there were 23 audit findings with IndiGo, 14 with SpiceJet, 57 with Alliance Air, 35 with Quick Jet, 41 with Ghodawat Star and 17 with erstwhile Vistara.

Findings that are considered critical risks and require immediate corrective action are categorised as level-1, while level-2 lapses include non-compliance.

Globally, aviation regulators routinely encounter similar patterns with major carriers due to the diversity and intensity of their undertakings.

Upon completion of each audit, the relevant airlines are formally notified and are required to submit timely compliance and corrective action-taken reports.

“DGCA reassures the travelling public that these processes are robust and that the presence of such findings is a testament to active regulatory oversight,” the statement said.