Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
An important revelation has come to light regarding safety and operations in India’s aviation sector. The Civil Aviation Ministry told the Lok Sabha that out of 754 aircraft that were examined under safety audit between January 2025 and February 3, 2026, 377 aircraft were found to have recurring technical faults. This means that almost every other aircraft is suffering from some recurring defect.
decline in technical faults
According to the ministry, however, the total number of technical faults has decreased over the years. Airlines reported 353 technical glitches in 2025, while in 2023 the number was 448. The government says that the technical problems reported in flights have gradually reduced in the last three years, which is a positive sign.
Not every fault is a safety hazard
According to experts, not all technical flaws are serious from security point of view. Many problems are related to the cabin, like seats breaking, lights or in-flight entertainment screens not working. Such defects are recorded in the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) and the aircraft can fly with permission to rectify them within the stipulated time.
DGCA’s strict monitoring system
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has implemented a strict monitoring mechanism to ensure compliance with the rules. This includes surveillance, spot check, ramp check and regulatory audit. In the year 2025, DGCA conducted 3,890 surveillance inspections, 56 regulatory audits, 492 ramp checks and 84 inspections of foreign aircraft.
Airline-wise status
According to airline-wise data, 148 aircraft of IndiGo were found to have frequent faults, which is the highest. After this, 137 aircraft of Air India, 54 of Air India Express, 16 of SpiceJet, 14 of Akasa Air and 8 of Alliance Air are included in this list.
Passengers face trouble due to flight cancellation
Meanwhile, Parliament was also told that in the last three months, IndiGo canceled 6,936 flights, affecting about 10.8 lakh passengers. The government attributed the cancellations to over-optimization of operations, system and management deficiencies and bad weather. DGCA has directed the airline to stabilize operations and provide timely refunds and compensation to passengers.