Following the recent Air India plane crash outside Ahmedabad, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has undertaken an across-the-board review of airline safety, passenger facilitation, and overall operational performance.
Union Minister for Civil Aviation Shri Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu convened a series of high-level meetings with stakeholders to discuss the changing challenges confronting India's aviation industry.
A major video conferencing was conducted with Airport Directors across the country to assess ground-level readiness, especially considering the growing number of flight rescheduling.
Reasons ranging from post-accident aircraft inspections, bad weather, and airspace restrictions as a result of geopolitical tensions were given as contributing factors for operational interruptions.
In the course of the meeting, Minister Naidu made a number of directions. He stressed resolving passengers' problems quickly on the spot through effective coordination with airlines.
He directed providing passengers with basic comforts like food, drinking water, and sufficient seating during delays and deploying more staff at prominent airport touchpoints to handle passenger complaints effectively.
Airport Directors were also asked to provide logistical support and gate reassignments to airlines during disruptions.
To provide ground safety, the Minister instructed officials to intensify wildlife hazard management activities, specifically keeping birds and stray animals away from airports.
An intensive review session with Air India Chairman and Managing Director discussed current challenges.
With less aircraft availability due to increased safety checks, European night-flight restrictions, and the Middle East situation, the airline will be expected to temporarily scale down operations and restructure some routes. Those passengers affected will be given rebooking opportunities or a full refund.
The Minister directed Air India to ensure operational continuity, embrace clear communication norms, and augment passenger convenience.
He also emphasized the requirement for enhanced airport coordination and better trained customer service personnel who can manage disruptions in a sympathetic and transparent manner.
Additional meetings with SpiceJet, IndiGo, and Akasa Airlines' top management were also conducted on 18 and 19 June to evaluate fleet performance, safety, and overall passenger satisfaction.
The Ministry has come to the conclusion to institutionalize periodic reviews with airlines for ensuring sustained operational efficiency and improved coordination.
At the same time, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has initiated a formal probe of the Air India crash.
A multi-disciplinary team initiated its investigation on 12 June, with assistance from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the OEM of the aircraft, in accordance with ICAO procedures.
Two groups of Black Boxes consisting of the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) were recovered at the crash site, the second group being recovered on 16 June.
Important recovery operations such as site documentation and evidence collection have been finalized, and further analysis is currently in progress.
The Ministry once again assured that it remained committed to transparency and following all the investigative procedures for the sake of maintaining the best possible standards of passenger safety.
Although there are reports that flight data recorders of AI171 will be taken abroad for deciphering, the Ministry made it clear that AAIB would determine the destination of analysis keeping in view technical and security aspects.
Minister Naidu reiterated the call for one and responsive action, stating, "Passenger trust and operational stability have been the cornerstone of Indian aviation, and we must continue to uphold these values through collective effort and responsibility."
Follow us
