Aviation regulator defends the safety of India’s skies following Air India crash
‘India’s skies always safe,’ regulator says after air disaster
- India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has asserted the safety of the country's airspace following the recent Air India crash.
- The Air India flight AI171, which departed from Ahmedabad on 12 June, crashed into medical student accommodation shortly after take-off, resulting in approximately 275 fatalities.
- Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, DGCA chief, stated that India's aviation safety record consistently surpasses the global average, telling the BBC, "India's skies have always been safe”.
- Kidwai noted that the crash did not cause a significant decline in air traffic, and public anxiety typically diminishes as more information becomes available.
- The DGCA has observed an increase in airlines self-reporting technical faults, with 2,461 snags reported by Indian domestic carriers since 2020, a trend the regulator views as beneficial for safety.