The move by four airlines -- IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet and GoAir -- to suspend the stand-up comedian raises fears that the government can use the no-fly list to settle political scores, undermine the freedom of citizens.
The episode has been classified as an 'accident' as it has left serious injuries on passengers and crew members, the sources mentioned.
Aviation watchdog DGCA will conduct a special audit of grounded airline Go First's facilities in the national capital and Mumbai from July 4 to 6 before approving the revival plan for resumption of flights, according to a senior official. Cash-strapped Go First stopped flying on May 3 and is undergoing a voluntary insolvency resolution process. Meanwhile, a senior executive at the airline expressed hope of resuming ticket sales -- which was paused by DGCA following the grounding of the carrier -- from July 7 or July 8 and subsequent relaunch of the operations from middle of next month.
However, this restriction will not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the DGCA.
In Chandigarh, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda expressed shock over the death of 10 persons in the crash and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the three deceased persons hailing from Faridabad. He also announced a financial assistance of Rs 20,000 to each of the three injured
Tightening the rules for allowing foreign pilots to operate in India after the May 22 Mangalore air crash that claimed 158 lives, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation now wants them to get fitness certificates from Indian doctors apart from the ones which they may get from abroad.
Airline stocks have been soaring following a steep decline in crude oil prices and sustained passenger traffic. Analysts have particularly turned bullish on the stocks of InterGlobe Aviation and SpiceJet. On December 20, shares of InterGlobe Aviation (IndiGo) hit a record high of Rs 3,009 on the BSE, having surged 43.24 per cent year-to-date (YTD).
Jet Airways will be able to take to the skies once again, after aviation regulator DGCA on Friday granted it a revalidated air operator certificate, allowing the airline to resume commercial flight operations.
While techniques of handling air turbulence are crucial, a pilot from a major airline said the training provided isn't enough.
Of the 1,700 licences verified by it, the DGCA found seven cases of fake qualifications in mark sheets and flight hours.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has come out with a fresh circular making it clear that "in case the airline is compelled to operate a particular flight with a higher capacity aircraft, it shall be ensured that the capacity is restricted to that of the original aircraft".
The government has approved filling up of 700 posts in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which is in a rush to meet critical conditions set by its US counterpart to meet global safety standards, to beef up the functioning of the aviation regulatory body.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has refused to validate the licenses of about 25 foreign pilots operating in India, owing to their failure in English proficiency.
Holding that Air India's conduct appeared to be 'unprofessional', aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday issued notices to the officials and crew of the New York-Delhi flight, asking why action should not be taken against them for 'dereliction' of duty while handling the November 26 'urination' incident.
These vacancies are likely to emerge as Indian airlines plan to induct more than 900 aircraft into their fleets in the coming years.
IndiGo and Jet Airways took the second and third rank, alternatively, during this period.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has asked senior officials of the airlines, including CEO Sanjay Aggarwal, to appear before it tomorrow to explain the cancellations.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, in-flight meal service was not permitted on domestic flights since their resumption on May 25. On international flights, only pre-packed cold meals and snacks were being served depending on the flight duration since May this year.
"We are visiting Mumbai airport and will also be meeting ATC officials on Tuesday as part of our probe," an official associated with the eight-member probe team said. The team will probe Monday's incident involving a chopper from President Pratibha Patil's fleet that had landed on the same runway, which a Delhi-bound aircraft with 150 passengers on board was using to take off.
IndiGo had the best on-time performance (OTP) of 95.4 per cent at four metro airports in February, while Go First secured the number two position with 94.1 per cent in the same month, according to data released by aviation regulator DGCA. Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai were the four airports where Indigo had the best OTP, the data released on Monday said. In January, the situation was inverse as Go First had logged the best OTP of 94.5 per cent at the four airports while IndiGo was at number two with 93.9 per cent OTP.
In its ongoing drive to cleanse the system of unqualified pilots, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked all airlines to monitor the hiring and training of co-pilots in a more effective manner and to file a monthly report on this.
"The Indian government approached asking us to open the airspace. We conveyed our concerns that first India must withdraw its fighter planes placed forward," Nusrat told the committee.
Terming as "unfortunate" the loss of lives in the Malaysian Airlines tragedy, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Friday said there was no Indian on board the aircraft.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered a probe into the incident.
An Air India pilots' grouping has raised fatigue concerns in the wake of flight crew rosters generated using a new rostering tool, saying that extended waiting periods between duty time will jeopardise crew alertness and performance. "Extended waiting periods, occurring before active flight duties, run counter to enhancing crew readiness and, in fact, contribute to the accumulation of fatigue over time," the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) has said. In a letter to Air India head of safety Henry Donohoe last week, IPG said it has been recently observed that the relentless pursuit of operational efficiency and economic gains has led to an unintended overshadowing of the primary intent behind Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) regulations.
Air travellers may have to shell out hefty amounts if the fare bands proposed by airlines -- which will also take into account the distance factor -- are approved by the civil aviation regulator DGCA.
According to agency reports, Jet Airways has approached the ministry to acquire six of the vacant slots.
Terming SpiceJet's offer of rupee one fare across its domestic network as "predatory" and a "malpractice", aviation regulator DGCA on Tuesday came down heavily on the no-frill carrier and asked it to stop such pricing immediately.
The Bombay High Court on Friday asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to conduct an inquiry into allegations of pilots procuring flying license after submitting forged mark sheets.
The incident took place on August 30 when Air India flight AI 102 was on its way to New Delhi from New York.
The aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had last week imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the airline for denying boarding to a specially abled child at Ranchi airport on May 7.
Shivaji Park ground in central Mumbai where Republic Day celebrations will be held on Saturday, have been declared a 'no flying zone' due to intelligence inputs which suggested that terrorists might attempt air strikes, the police said.
Aviation regulators says airlines are free to fix fares.
DGCA convenes meeting to discuss rules for safety operations.
Regulator in action after grounding pilots for allowing passengers into the cockpit.
In a rare move, the DGCA has filed a police complaint against 34 pilots of Jet Airways, IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir.
The compensation could be between Rs 2000-4000 or the value of the ticket, whichever is lesser, and should be paid within a stipulated time frame.
Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said appropriate action would be taken in case anything is 'found wanting'.
The airline said it has filed a police complaint about the incident, but did not specify when the 30-day ban came into effect.
A senior DGCA official said that the flight has been grounded and a detailed probe has been ordered into the matter. All the passengers are safe.
