The government reported 352 significant technical defects in domestic and international flight operations during the first half of 2026, according to data provided by the civil aviation ministry to the Rajya Sabha. As reported by Business Standard, 334 defects were related to domestic flight operations and the remaining 18 pertained to international services. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol provided this information in a written reply to a query from CPI-M member John Brittas regarding safety violations and technical defects during the last three years. The data was provided on August 3, 2026, with the minister not disclosing specific details about the defects.
Among the 352 significant defects, Akasa Air reported the highest number at 152 defects, followed by Air India Express with 53 defects and IndiGo with 47 defects. According to the ministry data, Air India recorded 46 defects, SpiceJet reported 9 defects, Star Air had 29 defects, Fly91 recorded 9 defects, India One Air reported 5 defects, and Blue Dart had 2 defects. The data showed that 151 of Akasa Air's defects were related to domestic flight operations during this period.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is developing a digital incident reporting platform on the eGCA portal to enable electronic submission and faster processing of mandatory occurrence reports, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu told the Rajya Sabha. This digital initiative aims to streamline the reporting process and improve the efficiency of safety monitoring systems. The platform will allow airlines and other aviation stakeholders to submit incident reports electronically, reducing manual processing delays and improving the overall safety compliance framework.
Recent developments include IndiGo's parent company receiving a DGCA warning letter for procedural deviations following an audit after a cargo spillage incident occurred in January. The airline must now submit an action taken report to the aviation regulator, though no penalties or sanctions were imposed by the DGCA. The company cited internal communication gaps for a delayed disclosure of this event. Additionally, a consumer commission has ruled that Air India is not liable for a flight diversion due to dense fog in Delhi, which caused passengers to miss their connecting flight. The commission emphasized that airlines cannot be held responsible for delays caused by circumstances beyond their control, such as adverse weather conditions impacting flight safety.
