The Hindu : National : Plea for safety audit on low-cost airlines

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 22, 2005

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National

Plea for safety audit on low-cost airlines

Special Correspondent

DGCA probe sought into why these airlines cancel schedules "The regulatory authorities must take appropriate action and reprimand the management of the airline for their attitude"

CHENNAI: The Air Passengers' Association of India has appealed to the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation to conduct a "safety audit" on the "low-cost airlines including Air Deccan" for their adherence to the rules of the apex regulatory body.

Addressing a news conference here on Tuesday, the APAI founder and national president, D. Sudhakara Reddy, and Hiren Bhasker Shah, national secretary, said it was disturbing that Air Deccan was "indulging in large-scale cancellation of flights and sometimes operating flights with inordinate delays with scant regard for the travelling public."

Immediate inquiry

"Passengers have been taken for a ride by the low-cost airlines not adhering to schedules and the DGCA must immediately conduct an inquiry and find out the actual reasons for such delays and cancellations. The regulatory authorities must take appropriate action and reprimand the management of the airline for their attitude," Mr. Reddy said.

The DGCA must be strengthened to meet the growing requirements in the civil aviation sector.

Mr. Reddy said that at the recent Paris air show, India's growth in the civil aviation sector was, for the first time, the talking point with several players announcing fleet expansion plans. A major cause of concern for the participants at the Paris air show was "the crumbling infrastructure of Indian airports," he said.

Infrastructure needed

The Civil Aviation Ministry had been making announcements about investments in airport infrastructure, but too little was being done.

About 300 aeroplanes had been ordered but there was no place to park them.

There was congestion in terminal buildings, and the infrastructure was saturated.

A radical approach was needed to equip the airports for the projected growth, he said.

Regretting that Air India and Indian Airlines continued to bleed for want of aircraft, Mr. Reddy said the Union Cabinet should take up the issue on a priority basis and clear the acquisition proposals quickly.

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