DGCA Audit Flags 263 Safety-Related Issues Across Eight Airlines
The Tata Group airlines — Air India, Vistara (Tata SIA Airlines) and Air India Express — accounted for 93 findings, over a third of all observations.
As many as 263 safety issues were detected across eight airlines in the last one year, with Air India Group accounting for the highest number of concerns among domestic carriers, according to an annual audit by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
These issues are classified into two categories: Level 1, indicating serious safety risks that demand immediate corrective actions, and Level 2, which represents systemic or procedural non-compliance of safety protocols.
The Tata Group airlines — Air India, Vistara (Tata SIA Airlines), and Air India Express — accounted for 93 findings, over a third of all observations. This includes 19 Level 1 issues, whereas all other carriers reported only Level 2 safety concerns.
Air India alone recorded 51 findings as reported by NDTV Profit earlier, including seven Level 1 safety issues. The aviation safety regulator also flagged 25 safety lapses in Air India Express, two of which are classified as Level 1, and Vistara reported 17 findings, with 10 classified as Level 1, the highest proportions of serious violations among airlines.
In a statement to NDTV Profit, Air India acknowledged receiving DGCA's notice on the findings and said that it was in the process of responding to those.
The safety audit is a regular exercise under a safety oversight programme. It began much before Air India lost an aircraft in a crash last month. However, these findings are the latest in a series of regulatory concerns flagged at Air India in the wake of the AI-171 plane crash, throwing its transformation plan under the Tata Group into jeopardy. Doubts about the airline's ability to operate safely underscores the urgent need to overhaul its safety practices and restore passenger confidence.
Market leader IndiGo, meanwhile, had 23 safety issues in the last one year, all of which were classified as Level 2, the DGCA audit findings revealed. While there are procedural gaps, the lack of Level 1 issues suggests IndiGo is relatively better in direct flight safety compliance. Similarly, SpiceJet was flagged for 14 lapses, all classified as Level 2.
Alliance Air, a government-owned regional airline, had a total of 57 findings, all of which were classified as Level 2, while 41 safety lapses — all Level 2 — were found in Ghodawat Group-owned Star Air, the DGCA said.
DGCA Audit Findings
However, the findings are not to be seen as "unusual lapses", the DGCA said, adding that larger airlines tend to have more audit findings.
"A higher number of audit findings is entirely normal for airlines with extensive operations and large fleet sizes," the DGCA said in a statement.
