Air India's Entire Fleet Undergoes Emergency Audit Amid Safety Concerns

Strategic Insights -

Air India's massive fleet of over 100 aircraft is being subjected to an emergency engineering audit after two recent safety scares. The audit, ordered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is a response to concerns raised by the regulator over the airline's maintenance records and availability of spare parts, particularly for its oldest serving aircraft, the Airbus 320. The audit will cover all four Air India bases - Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata - and aims to ensure that the airline's fleet is maintained to safety standards.

Key Takeaways:

  • The DGCA has ordered an emergency audit of Air India's entire fleet of over 100 aircraft following two recent safety scares.
  • The audit is a response to concerns raised by the regulator over the airline's maintenance records and availability of spare parts.
  • The audit will cover all four Air India bases - Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata.
  • The audit will focus on whether spare parts are available, particularly in the case of the Airbus 320 aircraft, which are the oldest serving ones with AI.
  • Air India's Airbus fleet pilots' union had in March warned DGCA to ground the snag-prone fleet.
  • At least six passengers were injured during an emergency evacuation on September 7 after an AI-operated Airbus 320 sprang a hydraulic leak midair.
  • A day later, the airline's engineering department reported that the tail of an AI aircraft carrying over 100 passengers had caught fire due to leftover fuel in the tailpipe.

Statistics:

  • Over 100 aircraft are part of Air India's fleet undergoing the emergency audit.
  • The airline's Airbus fleet pilots' union had warned DGCA to ground the snag-prone fleet in March.
  • At least six passengers were injured during the emergency evacuation on September 7.
  • The Airbus 320 involved in the hydraulic leak incident last week is 26 years old, one of the oldest serving aircraft in AI's fleet.

Sources:

  • Hindustan Times
  • Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
  • Air India
  • Hindustan Times (c) HT Media Ltd.