Members of a parliamentary committee tasked with aviation safety are questioning government agencies and private airlines about the safety procedures currently in place during the full-day meeting that began on Wednesday in New Delhi. The meeting takes place in the wake of last month's tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad, which has caused major concerns regarding aviation safety regulations nationwide.
According to sources, several committee members expressed alarm over the high number of vacant posts within the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India's chief aviation regulator. Concerns were also raised about the DGCA’s failure to act on several earlier recommendations made by the committee in previous sessions. Several important agencies are scheduled to present to the committee, which is chaired by Janata Dal (United) Member of Parliament Sanjay Kumar Jha. Updates and clarifications on current safety procedures and actions being taken in response to recent incidents are anticipated from the DGCA, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and other relevant departments.
Top officials are attending the meeting to examine airlines as well. Along with representatives from other significant carriers and aviation stakeholders, Campbell Wilson, the CEO and Managing Director of Air India, is one of them. The urgency and gravity of the situation were demonstrated by the fact that many of these officials had also attended a different parliamentary committee meeting that had taken place the day before.
The DGCA, responding to mounting public and parliamentary pressure, stated on Tuesday that it will soon introduce a new mechanism to regulate the sudden spike in airfares. Recent fare surges were observed during major events such as the Maha Kumbh and in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. Discussions at the Public Accounts Committee were centred on these pricing concerns as well as increased worries about aviation safety in the wake of the Ahmedabad crash.
Shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, an Air India flight headed for London crashed into a hostel complex in Ahmedabad on June 12. 241 people on board and more people on the ground lost their lives in the tragic crash. One traveler was fortunate enough to survive the catastrophe. Examining safety protocols and regulatory supervision, the committee seeks to guarantee that immediate remedial actions are taken to rebuild public trust in the nation's aviation industry.
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