The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has come up with 263 safety-related lapses among 8th scheduled airlines in India since last year, as part of the annual surveillance of the safety oversight programme.
These findings emerged from routine audits and inspections conducted to ensure adherence to operational standards and aviation safety protocols.
In an official statement, the DGCA emphasised that these audits are conducted in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) guidelines. The objective, it said, is to continuously assess and improve the operational safety standards of airlines. “These audits help identify areas where improvements are needed and are an integral component of the annual surveillance plan,” the regulator noted.
According to the audit data, Alliance Air recorded the highest number of safety-related observations with 57, followed by Air India with 51, and Ghodawat Star (also known as Star Air) with 41. Other airlines flagged in the report include Quick Jet (35 findings), Air India Express (25), IndiGo (23), SpiceJet (14), and Tata SIA Airlines (Vistara) with 17 — the fewest among the eight. Notably, Vistara and Air India had merged in October last year.
The DGCA classified the lapses into two categories:
Level 1: Serious safety concerns
Level 2: Less critical issues
Of the 263 findings, 244 were classified as Level 2, while 19 were categorised as Level 1. Among the serious lapses, Vistara accounted for 10, and Air India for 7, making them the two airlines with the highest number of critical findings.
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However, the aviation regulator clarified that these figures must be interpreted in context. “For airlines with extensive operations and larger fleets, a higher number of findings is entirely normal. These reflect the scope and scale of their operations, not necessarily a disproportionate safety lapse. Globally, similar patterns are observed with major carriers due to the complexity and diversity of their operations,” the DGCA explained.
Following these audits, airlines are issued formal notifications outlining the findings and are required to submit corrective action plans. The DGCA said it actively follows up on these responses to ensure that all necessary safety improvements are implemented.
Reassuring passengers, the DGCA concluded, “The presence of such audit findings highlights the robustness of our regulatory oversight. These checks are routine, and all identified issues are being addressed through corrective measures. There is no cause for concern for the travelling public.”
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