Air pocket

Two major incidents within 11 days have thrown a harsh spotlight on major gaps in safety, training, supervision and regulation in the Indian aviation sector. On September 11, an Air India Delhi-New York flight suffered multiple instrument failure and had to make an unscheduled landing at New Jersey airport. On Thursday, pilots on a Jet Airways Mumbai-Jaipur flight appear to have forgotten to switch on a crucial button that maintains cabin air pressure; this resulted in several passengers suffering nosebleeds, ear-pain and headaches, and the flight having to return to Mumbai.

Such episodes should not be seen as isolated incidents. Earlier this year, there were instances of aircraft coming close to collision in the air and on the ground. Clearly, skill and luck are no substitutes for robust systems and processes, especially in the technology-intensive, consumer-oriented aviation business. It is difficult to imagine how multiple systems could have failed on the Air India flight and how Jet Airways crew deviated from critical standard operating procedures. This could have happened due to several factors — fatigue, lackadaisical attitude, inadequate training — acting singly or in combination. It appears that airlines in India are being overwhelmed by the rapid growth in passenger traffic. In the race to garner a larger share of the pie, they are flying more aircraft, recruiting more crew, and trying to reduce turnaround times at airports. In the process, they seem to be cutting corners in training, supervision and safety — adopting a grow-now-fix-later attitude. This needs to stop. The Ministry of Aviation and regulator DGCA too haven’t come out smelling of roses. Sure, enquiries are ordered and some crew punished, but to little avail.

The regulatory mechanism should impose heavy costs on airlines for lapses in training, supervision and safety. Passengers who have been put to risk must be justly compensated. Investigations and actions need to be prompt and time-bound. The regulator must ensure that airlines have adequate bandwidth in their back-end processes, in sync with fleet growth. Whether the poor financial health of some airlines pushes them to compromise in terms of repairs and replacements, making do with fewer people in critical positions, or not paying their dues to suppliers and staff, needs to be delved into. On its part, the government should move quickly to ease infrastructure constraints at airports. After the Jet Airways incident, the Minister for Civil Aviation has directed the DGCA to prepare a safety audit plan for airlines, aerodromes and training schools. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating — when those found lacking are taken to task.

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