News for 'Civil Aviation Department'

Nitish distributes new departments, retains civil aviation

Nitish distributes new departments, retains civil aviation

Rediff.com13 Dec 2025

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has allocated portfolios of newly created departments among ministers, keeping Civil Aviation with himself, an official notification said.

Mumbai's iconic Air India building set to become Maha govt hub soon

Mumbai's iconic Air India building set to become Maha govt hub soon

Rediff.com29 Apr 2026

The Maharashtra government is nearing the acquisition of the Air India building in south Mumbai after the Finance Department transferred Rs 1,600 crore to the Public Works Department. The agreement with Air India Assets Holding Limited is expected to be signed within two weeks, providing much-needed office space for state government departments.

DGCA Gets New Chief After Turbulent Year

DGCA Gets New Chief After Turbulent Year

Rediff.com1 Apr 2026

Events from mid-2025 to early 2026 exposed deeper systemic concerns for India's aviation safety architecture.

Tears, prayers mid-air as Fly91 flight diverted to Bengaluru

Tears, prayers mid-air as Fly91 flight diverted to Bengaluru

Rediff.com20 Apr 2026

A Fly91 flight from Hyderabad to Hubballi was diverted to Bengaluru due to adverse weather conditions, causing concern among passengers before safely returning to its destination.

Ajit Pawar crash: Naidu seeks Maharashtra's help for fast probe

Ajit Pawar crash: Naidu seeks Maharashtra's help for fast probe

Rediff.com29 Jan 2026

Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu has requested the Maharashtra government's cooperation in the investigation into the plane crash that killed Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has initiated a formal investigation.

How Air India Is Using AI To Transform Operations

How Air India Is Using AI To Transform Operations

Rediff.com26 Apr 2026

Air India is significantly embracing artificial intelligence to enhance operational efficiency, improve customer services, increase revenues, and reduce costs as part of its ambitious transformation plan under the Tata Group.

Modi calls for action to protect citizens from West Asia conflict impact

Modi calls for action to protect citizens from West Asia conflict impact

Rediff.com2 Apr 2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened the Cabinet Committee on Security to address the impact of the West Asia conflict on Indian citizens, focusing on safeguarding them from the conflict's effects and ensuring the smooth flow of essential supplies.

Sikkim opens strategic border areas for tourism

Sikkim opens strategic border areas for tourism

Rediff.com25 Sep 2025

The Sikkim government has announced the opening of Doka-La and Cho-La battlefields for domestic tourists starting October 1, under the Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan initiative. Strict guidelines for security and environmental protection will be in place.

Private plane crash-lands in Odisha, 6 injured

Private plane crash-lands in Odisha, 6 injured

Rediff.com10 Jan 2026

Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani said there were four passengers, including two women and two pilots, in the aircraft. Captain Naveen and Captain Tarun were piloting the plane, he said.

Gujarat cabinet rejig: A look at new ministerial portfolios

Gujarat cabinet rejig: A look at new ministerial portfolios

Rediff.com18 Oct 2025

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel allocated portfolios following a major cabinet reshuffle, with Harsh Sanghavi becoming Deputy CM and receiving Home and Industries. New ministers, including Rivaba Jadeja, were also assigned responsibilities.

Buildings around Ahmedabad airport to be checked for height violations

Buildings around Ahmedabad airport to be checked for height violations

Rediff.com19 Jun 2025

Authorities will conduct a survey of the areas surrounding the Ahmedabad airport, in the wake of last week's Air India plane crash that claimed 270 lives, to check whether any structures were violating height norms and posing a threat to aircraft safety, an official said on Thursday.

Air India Delhi-New York flight suffers engine damage at Delhi airport

Air India Delhi-New York flight suffers engine damage at Delhi airport

Rediff.com16 Jan 2026

An Air India Airbus A350 sustained engine damage after ingesting a baggage container while taxiing at Delhi airport. The incident occurred after the flight returned to Delhi due to the unexpected closure of Iranian airspace. The DGCA is investigating.

Ajit Pawar plane crash: Accidental death report filed

Ajit Pawar plane crash: Accidental death report filed

Rediff.com29 Jan 2026

Police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) in connection with the plane crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others in Baramati. The case will be handed over to the Maharashtra CID for investigation following the AAIB's inquiry.

Centre probes GPS spoofing after alerts from 7 major airports

Centre probes GPS spoofing after alerts from 7 major airports

Rediff.com1 Dec 2025

The Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital is the country's busiest airport and RWY refers to runway.

IndiGo seeks 10 days to normalise ops as 1,000 flights cancelled on Friday

IndiGo seeks 10 days to normalise ops as 1,000 flights cancelled on Friday

Rediff.com5 Dec 2025

IndiGo cancelled over 1,000 flights on Friday and said operations are expected to normalise in the next 10 days, as the country's largest airline received flight duty norms relaxation from watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which will probe the disruptions that have impacted thousands of passengers for four straight days.

Volcanic ash clouds unlikely to touch India; flight services hit

Volcanic ash clouds unlikely to touch India; flight services hit

Rediff.com25 Nov 2025

The civil aviation ministry is monitoring the impact of volcanic ash plumes from Ethiopia on flight operations, leading to cancellations and delays. The situation is being closely monitored, and necessary precautions are being taken.

Canada flags Air India, alerts DGCA over pilot issue

Canada flags Air India, alerts DGCA over pilot issue

Rediff.com3 Jan 2026

An investigation into the matter is currently ongoing, and police have stated that no further details will be released at this stage.

Pilots blame IndiGo's manpower policy for flight delays

Pilots blame IndiGo's manpower policy for flight delays

Rediff.com4 Dec 2025

Pilots' body the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has alleged that IndiGo, despite getting a two-year preparatory window before the full implementation of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew, "inexplicably" adopted a "hiring freeze."

HC rejects plea on fourfold compensation for IndiGo passengers

HC rejects plea on fourfold compensation for IndiGo passengers

Rediff.com17 Dec 2025

The Delhi High Court refused to entertain a PIL seeking compensation for passengers affected by IndiGo flight cancellations, citing an ongoing related case.

Ajit Pawar's funeral today, Amit Shah to attend

Ajit Pawar's funeral today, Amit Shah to attend

Rediff.com29 Jan 2026

The last rites of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash, will be held with full state honors in Baramati. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to attend.

Fog disrupts ops at Delhi airport; 177 flights cancelled, 500 delayed

Fog disrupts ops at Delhi airport; 177 flights cancelled, 500 delayed

Rediff.com20 Dec 2025

Dense fog disrupted operations at Delhi airport, leading to cancellations and delays of hundreds of flights. Airlines are offering refunds and rescheduling options.

Centre to evacuate Indians from Gulf; IndiGo to operate 10 Jeddah flights

Centre to evacuate Indians from Gulf; IndiGo to operate 10 Jeddah flights

Rediff.com3 Mar 2026

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi assures that the Indian government is prepared to bring back Indians stranded in the Gulf region due to the Iran-Israel conflict and disruptions in Dubai, emphasizing citizen safety as the top priority.

DGCA to deploy staff inside IndiGo headquarters

DGCA to deploy staff inside IndiGo headquarters

Rediff.com10 Dec 2025

Aviation watchdog DGCA stations personnel at IndiGo's headquarters to monitor flight cancellations, crew deployment, and operational disruptions after thousands of flights were cancelled, causing passenger inconvenience.

Air India grounds engineer as A320 flights operated without valid papers

Air India grounds engineer as A320 flights operated without valid papers

Rediff.com3 Dec 2025

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing the incident reported on November 26. The regulator had asked the airline to carry out an internal probe to fix the responsibility and ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.

Ajit Pawar cremated with full state honours in Baramati

Ajit Pawar cremated with full state honours in Baramati

Rediff.com29 Jan 2026

The last rites of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash, were held with full state honors in Baramati. Prominent leaders and thousands of mourners attended the funeral.

'Ministry Slept, DGCA Slept, IndiGo...'

'Ministry Slept, DGCA Slept, IndiGo...'

Rediff.com11 Dec 2025

'IndiGo will receive a sharp rap on the knuckles -- a punishment, a huge penalty. 'I look towards them creating a compensation fund.' 'I would like to think they would do that for all the passengers who are affected on every single day since cancellations began.'

IndiGo cancels over 100 flights, scores delayed; DGCA launches probe

IndiGo cancels over 100 flights, scores delayed; DGCA launches probe

Rediff.com3 Dec 2025

Indigo airlines cancelled 13 flights from Hyderabad airport, causing chaos and frustration among passengers. The cancellations were attributed to technology and operational issues.

AI plane crash death toll hits 270 as families wait for bodies

AI plane crash death toll hits 270 as families wait for bodies

Rediff.com14 Jun 2025

The process of identification of victims by matching the DNA samples is currently underway, and the bodies will be handed over to their relatives once the process is complete.

Char Dham helicopter services suspended for 2 days after fatal crash

Char Dham helicopter services suspended for 2 days after fatal crash

Rediff.com15 Jun 2025

After chairing an emergency meeting with senior officials to discuss the situation, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that heli services on the Char Dham route will remain suspended for two days, as the weather is bad and the safety of the passengers is the government's top priority.

DGCA Moves In As IndiGo Turbulence Continues

DGCA Moves In As IndiGo Turbulence Continues

Rediff.com11 Dec 2025

The DGCA has formed two specialised teams to internally monitor IndiGo's daily operations.

Akasa in Turbulence: DGCA Flags Repeated Slip-Ups

Akasa in Turbulence: DGCA Flags Repeated Slip-Ups

Rediff.com28 Oct 2025

One of the major concerns highlighted by the DGCA was about the fact that not all staff had completed mandatory fatigue management training.

Delhi gears up for first artificial rain through cloud seeding

Delhi gears up for first artificial rain through cloud seeding

Rediff.com24 Oct 2025

Delhi is preparing for its first artificial rain through cloud seeding to combat air pollution. A trial run was successful, and the first rainfall is expected on October 29 if weather conditions are favorable.

Air India pilot gave no response after mayday call: DGCA

Air India pilot gave no response after mayday call: DGCA

Rediff.com12 Jun 2025

Soon after the takeoff, the pilot of ill-fated Air India aircraft gave a Mayday call to the Ahmedabad air traffic controller.

No major issues in Air India's Boeing 787 fleet post-crash: DGCA

No major issues in Air India's Boeing 787 fleet post-crash: DGCA

Rediff.com18 Jun 2025

Amid mounting safety concerns and the cancellation of at least 66 flights that were to be operated with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, DGCA officials held a detailed review meeting with top Air India and Air India Express executives.

'Abduction' of ex-minister's son turns out to be 'secret' Bangkok trip

'Abduction' of ex-minister's son turns out to be 'secret' Bangkok trip

Rediff.com11 Feb 2025

A day after high drama over the 'kidnapping' of ex-Maharashtra minister Tanaji Sawant's son, traced on a Bangkok-bound chartered flight which was diverted to Pune, the Sawant junior claimed he kept his 'business trip' secret to avoid his family's wrath.

Air India flight to Bangkok held at Mumbai airport for over 5 hrs

Air India flight to Bangkok held at Mumbai airport for over 5 hrs

Rediff.com27 Jun 2025

A Bangkok-bound Air India flight from Mumbai was held back for over five hours on June 25, after some hay was found stuck in one of the aircraft's wings, the airline has said.

Air India crash: Special team searches for black box

Air India crash: Special team searches for black box

Rediff.com13 Jun 2025

Efforts are on recover the black box of the Air India flight AI 171 which crashed in Ahmedabad as its analysis will provide vital clues about what triggered the disaster, said police and Fire Brigade officials on Friday.

'Sadly, SOPs Are Written On Somebody's Blood'

'Sadly, SOPs Are Written On Somebody's Blood'

Rediff.com15 Jul 2025

'The tone of the preliminary report creates a narrative towards pilot error. This is wrong.' 'Selected conversation has been divulged. It's not as if the pilots did not speak anything else in the cockpit.'

5 crashes, zero action: Kedarnath's air safety crisis deepens

5 crashes, zero action: Kedarnath's air safety crisis deepens

Rediff.com17 Jun 2025

The recent helicopter crash near Kedarnath, in which seven lives were lost, has proven yet again that aviation regulatory authorities have not learnt lessons from similar air mishaps in the challenging Kedar valley and have done little to improve flying conditions.

Father performs last rites of AI 171 pilot Capt Sabharwal

Father performs last rites of AI 171 pilot Capt Sabharwal

Rediff.com17 Jun 2025

The last rites of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, pilot in command of the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad last week, were performed in Mumbai on Tuesday with his grief-stricken father bidding a heart-wrenching, tearful farewell to his son before the cremation.