The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has carried out comprehensive surveillance at major airports, including Delhi and Mumbai. The surveillance revealed multiple deficiencies across the country’s aviation ecosystem. Two teams led by the Joint Director General, DGCA carried out comprehensive surveillance during night and early morning hours at major airports. The surveillance covered multiple critical areas, including flight operations, air traffic control, communication, navigation and surveillance systems, and pre-flight medical evaluations. During the surveillance, ground activities and aircraft movements were closely monitored to check the compliance of regulatory requirements and to identify weak areas for improvement.
The aviation watchdog found several recurring defects on aircraft, indicating the ineffective monitoring and inadequate maintenance. It has been found that defect reports generated by the aircraft system were not found recorded in the technical logbook. Several life vests were not properly secured beneath their designated seats. Similarly at an airport, centre line marking of the runway was observed to have faded. All the findings observed during the surveillance have been communicated to the concerned operators for taking necessary corrective actions within seven days.