DGCA goes strict on airlines, airports; takes 305 enforcement actions in 2022

Actions were also taken by DGCA against erring pilots, cabin crew, air traffic controllers (ATCOs), aircraft maintenance engineers for non-compliance to laid down regulations and SOPs.

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Aviation safety regulator DGCA took 305 enforcement actions, including imposing financial penalties against various operators and individuals, among others for non-compliance of various norms during 2022, an official statement said on Sunday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has the mandate to enforce civil air regulations, air safety and airworthiness standards. There were 305 enforcement actions taken by the regulator during the year, the DGCA said in the statement.

These enforcement actions were taken against various airlines, including scheduled as well as non-scheduled operators, airport operators and flying training organisations for failing to adhere to laid down safety standards and norms and compromising safety of aircraft operations, the DGCA said.

Actions were also taken against erring pilots, cabin crew, air traffic controllers (ATCOs), aircraft maintenance engineers and various post holders for non-compliance to laid down regulations and SOPs, it added.

According to the DGCA, the main reasons included actions of flight crew and ATCOs leading to serious incidents and accidents, improper aircraft maintenance, inadequate airport facilities and failing to clear breath analyser tests by them, including the AMEs.

These also included lapses on part of various flying training organisations to follow laid down SOPs and safety standards, it said. Besides, during 2022, the DGCA said it also levied financial penalties in 39 cases to the tune of Rs 1.975 crore on various airlines, airport operators and FTOs.

This include penalty imposed on no-frills carrier IndiGo for wrongfully offloading a differently-abled person as well as on the now Tata Group-owned Air India for not paying compensation to passengers against denied boarding, as per the statement.

At the same time, SpicejJet was penalised for using simulator with unserviceable warning system for training of pilots while a penalty on Vistara was levied for non-compliance of route dispersal guidelines, the DGCA said.

Penalty was also imposed on five non-scheduled operator for violation of NSOPs / over logging of flying hours during Kedarnaath yatra operations, the statement said and added that the national airport operator AAI was penalised for non-compliance of runway light requirements at Bhavnagar airport.

As many as 17 organisations including Go First were also penalised for non-adherence to laid down guidelines on breath analyser checks, the regulator said in the statement.