DGCA Audit Finds Repetitive Defects in 377 Aircraft; IndiGo, Air India Top the List

A total of 377 aircraft out of 754 audited were identified with repetitive defects since January 2025 across various scheduled airlines, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told Parliament on Tuesday.

Replying to MPs’ questions in Lok Sabha, Mohol said in a written response that IndiGo accounted for 148 aircraft flagged out of 405 examined, followed by Air India with 137 out of 166 aircraft, and Air India Express with 54 out of 101.

SpiceJet had 16 aircraft identified from 43 analysed, while Akasa Air reported 14 out of 32. Alliance Air had eight aircraft flagged out of seven analysed.

In a separate reply, the minister said 353 technical faults were reported on flights in 2025. However, the data also showed that the number of technical faults reported has declined over the past three years.

During 2025, aviation regulator DGCA carried out 3,890 surveillance inspections, along with 56 regulatory audits, 84 Surveillance of Foreign Aircraft (SOFA) checks and 492 ramp inspections as part of its planned activities. In addition, unplanned surveillance included 874 spot checks and 550 night surveillance operations.

“The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has a systematic safety oversight mechanism in place for monitoring compliance with rules and Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) covering all aircraft and airport operators,” the MoS for Civil Aviation said. He added that the oversight process includes surveillance, spot checks and regulatory audits.

“The deficiencies observed during these audits are followed up with airlines for effective corrective actions and closure. In case any violations or non-compliance with regulations are detected, enforcement action is taken by the DGCA,” he said.

Separately, the Lok Sabha was informed that IndiGo cancelled a total of 6,936 flights over the past three months, affecting more than 1.08 million passengers. The government said the cancellations in December 2025 were due to over-optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, gaps in software support, weaknesses in management and operational control, and adverse weather conditions.

IndiGo was directed to take corrective steps to stabilise operations, minimise passenger inconvenience, assist stranded travellers, and ensure refunds and compensation strictly in line with Civil Aviation Requirements, including payments in cash, via bank transfer or through travel vouchers with passenger consent.