The country’s aviation regulator said on Tuesday that it has kicked off a special exercise carrying safety reviews at major airports in the country, in a bid to promote aviation safety. As part of the exercise, which comes in the wake of the June 12 Ahmedabad plane crash, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) authorities conducted comprehensive surveillance at Tier 1 airports including the Delhi and Mumbai airports, including the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the national capital and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.

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Investigators unearthed a number of issues and challenges at airports during the review. 

Two teams, led by the Joint Director General, carried out comprehensive surveillance during night and early morning hours at major airports, including the Delhi and Mumbai airports, said the regulator.

The surveillance covered multiple critical areas such as flight operations, airworthiness, ramp safety, air traffic control (ATC), communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) systems, and pre-flight medical evaluations. 

Additionally, ground activities and aircraft movements were closely monitored to check the compliance of regulatory requirements and to identify weak areas for improvement.

Several issues found at major airports: DGCA 

• A number of issues were found during the surveillance, including: 
  • Multiple instances of reported defects re-appearing many times on the aircraft indicating the ineffective monitoring and inadequate rectification action on the defects/repeated defects
  • Unserviceable ground handling equipment’s such as baggage trollies, BFL, etc. 
  • Crucial procedures related to line maintenance stores and tool control not followed
  • Aircraft maintenance work order not followed
  • Unserviceable thrust reverser systems and flap slat levers not locked
  • During maintenance, safety precautions not taken by AME as per AMM
  • AME was not attending to the snag rectification
  • Aircraft system-generated defect reports not recorded in the technical logbook
  • Several life vests not properly secured beneath their designated seats
  • A simulator found to be not matching with aircraft configuration; software not updated 
  • A domestic flight of a scheduled carrier was held up due to worn tyres; flight was released only after the required rectification 

Concerned operators ordered to take corrective measures within seven days: DGCA 

“All the findings observed during the surveillance have been communicated to the concerned operators for taking necessary corrective actions within seven days,” according to the DGCA. 

The regulator also said that it will continue a similar comprehensive surveillance process to detect hazards in the system.