Manav Singh, Pune
DGCA also known as The Directorate General of Civil Aviation imposes a heavy fine of Rs 30 Lakhs on the IndiGo due to the tail strike incidents and also the airline’s unsuccessful attempt to fix the system deficiencies.
Indigo Airline’s audit was carried out by the DGCA which reviewed the airline’s documentation and procedure concerning their operations, engineering, training, and Flight Data Monitoring Programme.
Through a press statement, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said “Indigo Airlines experienced four tail strike incidents on A321 aircraft within a span of six months in the year 2023. The DGCA carried out a special audit of Indigo Airlines, and reviewed their documentation and procedures on operations, training, engineering, and the FDM (Flight Data Monitoring) programme.”
The DGCA further issued a cause notice to Indigo Airlines, conveying them to submit their reply within a specified period of time but the response has come out to be unsatisfactory.
On July 26, the flying licenses of two pilots of IndiGo Airlines were suspended by the DGCA. The reason behind the suspension was the violation of the crucial safety norms of flying when the aircraft operated by the pilots suffered a tail strike upon landing at the airport of Ahmedabad in June. The senior official of the DGCA told PTI that the PIC (Pilot in Command) has been suspended for three months, while the other co-pilot is suspended for one month.