Kathmandu. Air India, the flagship of the Tata Group, has found several safety flaws on its planes.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has conducted a surprise inspection of Air India aircraft at European airports. Which has revealed these weaknesses.
According to media reports, in January, Air India’s aircraft had a finding ratio of 1.96 during every inspection. After this, the agency based in Cologne informed India’s aviation regulator DGCA. The agency has since intensified inspections of Air India’s aircraft.
If this ratio rises above 2, it could affect Air India’s operations in Europe. It is one of its major international markets. This will increase scrutiny of airlines’ planes and some countries may even impose sanctions.
A senior DGCA official said that immediate steps have been taken to address Air India’s security lapses so that its operations in European countries are not affected.
What’s the problem?
According to the DGCA official, the number of security vulnerabilities in Air India came down last week due to increased inspections. The ratio fell to 1.76. Airlines with a high safety record usually have a ratio of less than 1.
Under the Foreign Aircraft Safety Assessment (SAFA) program, EASA inspectors carry out surprise inspections of non-EU airlines aircraft at European airports. Aircraft are checked at about 54 parameters, including safety equipment such as emergency exits and life jackets. –Agency
