352 Major Tech Defects Reported in Flight Operations Till June: Govt

New Delhi: The government on Monday said that 352 significant technical defects were reported in domestic and international flight operations this year till June.

Out of the total, 334 significant defects were related to domestic flight operations and the remaining pertained to international services, according to data provided by the civil aviation ministry to the Rajya Sabha.

The data was provided by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol in a written reply.

As many as 334 defects were related to domestic services and 18 pertained to international flights. The minister did not disclose specific details about the defects.

Among the 352 "significant defects" during the given period, 152 pertained to flight operations of Akasa Air, 53 related to Air India Express and 47 pertained to IndiGo flights, the data showed.

In the case of Air India and SpiceJet, the number of such defects was 46 and 9, respectively. during their flight operations.

As per the data, Star Air reported 29 significant defects, Fly91 recorded 9 such defects, and India One Air reported 5 such defects. Blue Dart reported 2 defects.

The data also showed that Akasa Air reported 151 significant defects in relation to domestic flight operations this year till June.

For the period from 2023 till June 2026, the total number of significant defects reported stood at 2,420, as per the data.

The figures were furnished in response to a query from CPI-M member John Brittas, who asked about the number and details of safety violations and technical defects identified in domestic and international flight operations during the last three years.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued 382 show cause notices to airlines for safety violations during the period from January 2024 to June 2026.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol also informed that the DGCA took 51 enforcement actions against scheduled airlines for major violations of safety standards during the period from 2023 to 2025.

The enforcement actions include financial penalty, suspension of approval/authorisation and warning.

"During the period from January, 2024 to June, 2026, DGCA issued 382 show-cause notices to airlines in respect of safety violations. These violations are addressed as per the Enforcement Policy and Procedure Manual of DGCA," Mohol said in the written reply.

Pursuant to a safety circular dated June 19, 2025, DGCA conducted a comprehensive special audit at major airports to assess the aviation ecosystem and strengthen the aviation safety architecture.

The circular was issued after the fatal crash of an Air India plane on June 12 last year that killed 260 people. The Boeing 787-8 aircraft enroute to London Gatwick crashed soon after take off from the Ahmedabad airport.

The surveillance covered multiple critical areas, including flight operations airworthiness, aircraft maintenance, ground handling ramp safety, aerodrome operations, air traffic management, communication, navigation and surveillance systems, cabin safety, and other operational aspects.

"During the surveillance, certain non-compliances and procedural deficiencies relating to airlines, aircraft maintenance organisations, ground handling agencies, airport operators and associated aviation stakeholders were observed. The observations were primarily related to maintenance practices, defect reporting, ground handling equipment, airside operations, aerodrome infrastructure, and operational procedures.

"All observations were duly addressed and rectified by the concerned organisations," Mohol said.

The response was to a query from Brittas on whether DGCA had detected multiple violations related to airlines, airports and aircraft maintenance works, during its surveillance at major airports post Ahmedabad aircraft crash.