How safe is the sky in India?
This is a question many asked after the devastating Indian crash in June, killing at least 270 people. After taking off from Ahmedabad Airport in western India on June 12, the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner dropped in less than a minute.
“The sky in India has been safe – in the past, and even today,” Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, Director of the Civil Aviation Administration of India (DGCA) – India's Aviation Safety Regulatory Authority, said in an interview with the BBC.
“If you look at global safety indicators, such as published by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which tracks the number of accidents per million flights, India has always performed better than the world average,” he said.
“In the 2010-2024 period, we surpassed the global average, which is the year of major accidents.”
In August 2020, Air India Flight 1344 crashed after taxiing on a rain-soaked desktop runway in Kozhikode, killing 21 people. Ten years ago, in May 2010, Dubai's flight 812 exceeded the runway in Mangalore and crashed into the canyon, killing 158 people. The June crash in India was the third of its kind in the country in 15 years.
Although such major accidents are still rare, recent headlines have attracted new attention. From reaching a severely turbulent flight in Delhi-Srinagar to growing reports of shortages of maintenance supervision and training, issues concerning aviation safety have once again become the focus.
The latest involvement of SpiceJet is the fourth largest and longest low-cost airline in India.
June devastating Indian crash kills at least 270 people in Ahmedabad [Getty Images]
The Economic Times newspaper found that after a series of shocking discoveries, aviation regulators have recently summoned airline leadership – not from conventional audits, but triggered by British Airways.
It began earlier this year when Spicejet’s two De Havilland Q400 turboprop aircraft showed a premature delivery of propellers. The airline warned Dowty Propellers, a British manufacturer dominated by GE Aerospace, that the propeller caused damage to the propeller's internal bearings.
Each propeller has two matches, rings or tracks. In this case, the internal race is compromised. SpiceJet didn't solve the root cause, but instead “reported to be applied more grease on [entire] The report said that the unit did not solve the root cause.
The report said DGCA's own audit in April “revealed more flaws, including obstacle events.”
Mr Kidwai told the BBC that “the turboprop problem has caught our attention through a maintenance organization at Spicejet”.
“We took it out with SpiceJet and made sure they took corrective measures. We also found that senior management was not fully aware of the situation. We took action against various postal holders who should ensure compliance with OEMs and other regulations. We directed Spicejet to remove it and suspend some of their work,” he said.
Recently, Reuters reported that aviation regulators condemned Air India’s budget airline in March for mandatory engine parts replacement on Airbus A320 and forged records to show compliance.
Air India Express told the news agency that it acknowledged DGCA's mistakes and took “remedial measures and preventive measures”.
Mr Kidva told the BBC that the information in this situation was through “airline self-report”.
“I won’t tolerate it [the lapses]. but [at least] We have started getting these reports. This comes from the airline. Action has been taken in this case. In our audit, we ask our people to be more agile and see if there are any mistakes and get our attention. ”
Since 2020, domestic operators in India have reported nearly 2500 technical failures [Getty Images]
In May, about 45 minutes after departure, the Indigo flight from Delhi to Srinagar faces serious turmoil.
The Airbus A321, which carries 222 passengers, was reported to have encountered extreme vertical airflow – upstream, and then downstream – that drove off the overhead bin and caused damage to the nose. The crew declared an emergency and landed safely in Srinagar without injuries. Regulators launched an investigation during which two pilots were taken root.
Mr Kidva told the BBC that regulators have now “completed” its pilot guide to flying in turbulent conditions.
For example, if there is a large amount of cloud cover or any weather pattern that poses a risk – “we have clearly defined the composition that poses this risk” – the pilot now requires a specific lawsuit to be taken in a certain mileage to reach a specific nautical.
“This may include transferring, moving around or taking other appropriate steps.”
According to federal Civil Aviation Ministry data, domestic airlines in India have reported 2,461 technical failures since 2020. Indigo accounts for more than half (1,288), followed by Spicejet, with 633. Air India and its subsidiary India Express As of January 2025, India and its subsidiary India Express had 389 cases.
“The airline reports on obstacles have risen. It's good,” Kidva said.
“I won't say I'm happy with it. But I do see the growing culture of the report [snags]. It is much better to get every obstacle to the authorities than to keep quiet and operate the aircraft. ”
Mr Kidva said that as the number of flights increases, it is important to “see if the turnaround time of the aircraft is sufficient,” he said. [maintenance] Check it or not”.
To be sure, demand for regulators has grown: India has become the world's third largest passenger transport market. However, over the past two years, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has faced budget cuts, reflecting the industry's top financial priorities.
Today, the country's booked airlines operate nearly 850 aircraft – about a significant increase from 400 a decade ago.
Since 2014-15, the number of air passengers has increased from 116 million to 239 million.
The number of commercial airports has also increased significantly – from 60-70 years ago to nearly 130-140 today.
“In total, both scheduled and non-arranged operators, we now have 1,288 aircraft. By the end of this decade, we expect to operate over 2,000 aircraft.” (Not planned operators include charter airlines, private jet operators, air taxis and helicopter services.)
So, has the latest Indian Air crash overlooked the reputation of Indian air travel? Mr Kidwai said the data did not point to this.
He told the BBC: “We looked at the data to assess whether it had any impact on domestic or international operations. There was no significant decline in traffic. At most, we observed a very marginal decline in a short period of time, affecting domestic and international flights, as well as some cancellations.”
“Naturally, people feel anxious after such events. But as time goes by, as more clarity comes into view, anxiety tends to fade away. Time is a great healer.”
