Events from mid-2025 to early 2026 exposed deeper systemic concerns for India's aviation safety architecture.
A Pawan Hans helicopter with seven people on board crashed into the sea near Mayabunder in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. All passengers and crew members were rescued and admitted to a hospital. A technical snag is suspected to be the cause of the crash.
Two new airlines -- Al Hind Air and FlyExpress -- are set to take to the skies, with the carriers receiving their no objection certificates from the civil aviation ministry.
Aviation regulator DGCA plans to implement measures to control excessive air ticket price increases, following concerns raised during a parliamentary panel meeting. The meeting also addressed air safety issues in light of the Ahmedabad plane crash.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar has alleged a link between a godman and the fatal plane crash involving his uncle, Ajit Pawar, and has demanded a CID interrogation.
The DGCA has revised air ticket refund norms, allowing passengers to cancel or change tickets without additional charges within 48 hours of booking, subject to conditions. The new rules also address name correction fees and medical emergency cancellations.
Wingtips of Air India and IndiGo planes came in touch with each other at the Mumbai airport on Tuesday evening, and both aircraft have been grounded for checks, according to officials. Aviation regulator DGCA's team is at the site and will be probing the incident.
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.
The DGCA has issued new guidelines for aircraft operators flying VIPs and VVIPs, including chief ministers and governors, emphasising safety and preventing undue pressure on flight crews.
Following allegations of foul play, the Maharashtra government has requested a CBI investigation into the plane crash that tragically killed Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, promising a thorough probe into the incident.
An Akasa Air and a SpiceJet plane collided on the taxiway at Delhi airport, resulting in both aircraft being grounded due to damage. The incident occurred at Terminal 1, with investigations underway.
The Competition Commission of India, following its preliminary inquiry, said the airline appeared to have caused an appreciable adverse effect on competition by restricting its services.
An IndiGo flight was evacuated at Chandigarh airport after a passenger's power bank caught fire. All passengers and crew were safely evacuated, and no major injuries were reported.
An Indian national was killed and several others injured in a drone attack on Kuwait International Airport, leading to the suspension of air traffic and significant damage. This incident marks the tenth Indian fatality since hostilities between the US and Iran began in February, with other Indians also affected by regional conflicts in UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman.
Airbus has inaugurated a state-of-the-art technology centre in Bengaluru, India, significantly expanding its strategic presence and supporting its 'Make in India' mission.
The Bombay High Court has set aside a 2011 Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) order that suspended a 61-year-old pilot's Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL). The court ruled the suspension "illegal and unsustainable" because the DGCA failed to provide the pilot with a show-cause notice or a hearing, violating principles of natural justice. The pilot's ATPL has been restored, though the DGCA is permitted to conduct a fresh inquiry following due process.
An Air India Express flight bound for Visakhapatnam was cancelled at Gannavaram Airport due to a technical issue detected before takeoff. Passengers included prominent figures like former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.
An Indian national was killed in an attack on Kuwait International Airport, prompting the Indian Embassy to offer condolences and assistance. The attack, attributed to Iranian strikes, led to the suspension of air traffic and caused casualties and damage.
Flight operations at Pune airport have resumed after a fighter aircraft experienced a technical issue during landing, causing a temporary runway closure and affecting numerous flights.
Under the proposal, if a foreign carrier does not operate flights to a particular Indian airport for 'four consecutive IATA seasons', the regulator may suspend that airport authorisation.
In recent times, there have also been instances of GPS spoofing and interference incidents at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai airports.
A Sudanese national with fever was admitted to the state-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, taking the total number of Ebola-related admissions at the facility to two, officials said on Friday, while a 19-year-old woman from Uganda has been admitted to a government hospital in Jaipur after showing symptoms similar to Ebola virus infection.
A technical snag was detected in a helicopter scheduled to transport Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde for campaigning, delaying her journey. The issue was discovered during a routine inspection, leading to the grounding of the helicopter and a DGCA investigation.
Bengaluru police have registered a case related to the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash, following a complaint by his nephew alleging a criminal conspiracy.
Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)'s chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai on Friday requested the cooperation of all pilots to ensure smooth flight operations amid massive IndiGo flight disruptions.
An aircraft carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others crash landed at Baramati airport, killing all five persons on board. A DGCA team is investigating the crash.
Union Minister assures accountability after IndiGo flight cancellations cause widespread passenger distress and mental harassment. The DGCA has launched an inquiry and issued a notice to IndiGo.
IndiGo has seen its pilots' strength depleting by 378 pilots in the last nine months despite its chief operating officer and Accountable Manager, Isidro Porqueras stating to the DGCA in a letter last December that "the overall impact of implementing the proposed changes above (now-implemented FDTL) norms would amount to an approximate 3 per cent increase in crewing requirements.
Aviation watchdog DGCA has set up a four-member committee to carry out a comprehensive review and assessment of the circumstances that led to the massive flight disruptions.
The Federation of Indian Pilots, said the union has written to the DGCA raising concerns over the extension.
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.
Visuals from the spot showed mangled remains of the aircraft.
IndiGo is operating 1,650 flights of its 2,300 daily domestic and international flights on Sunday, and 650 remain cancelled for the day, amid the airline's operations gradually stabilising after massive disruptions in the last five days, the airline said.
The aviation regulator stated that the "primary cause" of the disruptions was IndiGo's failure to make "adequate arrangements" to meet the revised staffing, duty-time and rostering requirements under the newly implemented Flight Duty Time Limitations scheme.
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.
Civil Aviation ministry has cancelled approval to the controversial private airport project at Aranmula in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala.
Following a fatal plane crash in Baramati, the DGCA has grounded four aircraft belonging to VSR Ventures due to significant compliance lapses identified during a safety audit.
Long queues, passengers in tears, and repeated flight cancellations created a morning of severe disruption at Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Saturday, as IndiGo continued to face nationwide operational delays.
India's aviation sector is facing fresh turbulence, with rising fuel costs, the Ministry of Civil Aviation's free-seat directive, and geopolitical disruptions in West Asia clouding near-term earnings visibility.
Blaming Indigo entirely for the crisis, Naidu said that even on December 1, 2025, when the Ministry met with Indigo on FDTL, as it required some clarification, the company didn't flag the issue that caused the crisis.
