DGCA Launches Comprehensive Audit Amid Surge In Indian Aviation Safety Incidents

As series of incidents have hit the Indian civil aviation sector, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a comprehensive special audit of aviation stakeholders across the sector to strengthen aviation safety. This special audit will focus on safety, operational efficiency and regulatory compliance of all primary aviation entities.

Just three weeks from the date when the global aviation sector commended India’s aviation safety protocols at the 81st annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the country is facing one of its most challenging phases of civil aviation. After the tragic plane crash of Air India’s flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, the sector has been consistently facing operational issues, arousing questions about the globally commended safety protocols.

To strengthen the aviation safety architecture, the civil aviation regulator DGCA has announced a comprehensive special audit to assess the ecosystem of the aviation sector. While the inspections and audits, including surveillance inspections, random spot checks and ramp inspections, to assess compliance and safety within individual segments have been traditionally conducted in silos, this newly announced audit is said to evaluate the ecosystem holistically. 

According to DGCA, the special audit will apply to all primary aviation entities, including scheduled, non-scheduled and private operators, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organisations, approved training organisations (ATOs), flying training organisations (FTOs), air navinagtion service provider (ANSP) which is the Air Traffic Control, aerodrome operators and ground handling agencies. Not limiting itself, the audits might also cover technology providers, emergency response systems, supply chain networks and regulation coordination bodies.

These special audits will be conducted by multi-disciplinary teams including the director or deputy director of DGCA as the lead auditor, supported by specialists from the directorates of flight standards, air safety, airworthiness, airspace and air navigation services, licensing and aerodrome standards. These teams might also include external experts from the industry. The process will employ a combination of techniques including document and record reviews to verify compliance, on-site inspections of facilities and equipment, interviews with management and operational staff, simulation and training records check and safety data trend analysis.

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According to a senior official of DGCA, the safety audits may be initiated based on triggers like critical safety events like serious incidents or accidents, consistent non-compliance with the regulations, findings in safety audits, disruptions in operations findings in ICAO audits.

The audited entities would have to submit a corrective action plan, detailing root cause analysis, remedial action, preventive measures, implementation timelines and success metrics, within 15 days of receiving the final report. The findings would be reviewed annually along with stakeholder surveys, international benchmarking to redefine methodologies and adopt advanced tools.

Notably, the Indian aviation sector has suffered a major blow after the Air India flight crash. While Air India struggles with its scheduled operations, the helicopter crash in Kedarnath killing seven people onboard also raised concerns about the non-scheduled operations of other operators. Moreover, the country’s largest airline, according to market share, IndiGo also faced operational issues with the latest incident of a Mayday call given by a pilot on a Guwahati-Chennai flight due to insufficient fuel.