Civil aviation regulator DGCA has made over 150 observations after it conducted regulatory audit of five airlines, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said today.
The main audit observations relate to airworthiness, flight safety, flight dispatch, pre-flight medical check, ramp inspection and aircraft operations and training of crew, the Civil Aviation Minister said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has made 77 observations against Air India Charters Ltd, 35 against cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines, 23 against Jet Airways, 12 against IndiGo and 10 against GoAir, he said, adding that the DGCA has prepared annual surveillance programme and regulatory audit plan for this year.
In reply to separate question, the Minister said there was a shortage of over 250 air traffic control officers (ATCO) in the country. While the sanctioned strength of ATCOs is 2,417, the present strength stands at 2,153.
“Concerns of passenger safety are taken care of adequately and safety is never compromised,” Ajit Singh said, adding that action has been taken to fill up the vacant posts by recruiting 200 controllers this year.