Politics

DMK MP Calls for DGCA Review After IndiGo Engine Failure

By ANI

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP P Wilson demanded that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation conduct an impartial review of airworthiness certificates for all aircraft in India after an IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Shillong was cancelled due to an engine failure while taxiing. Wilson, who was on board IndiGo flight 6E 7423 with three other MPs and 67 passengers to attend a Joint Parliamentary Committee hearing, said the aircraft stopped while taxiing from the parking bay toward the runway. An engine failed and was shut down before take‑off, leaving passengers stranded for about two hours. The pilot later announced a technical glitch and cancelled the flight.

Wilson questioned how the aircraft received an airworthiness certificate and described the flight as unsafe. He urged Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu to instruct the DGCA to review all airworthiness certificates and to conduct surprise inspections to ensure passenger safety. He also called for the DGCA to cancel certificates, ground aircraft and prohibit them from flying if they are found unfit.

The MP alleged an "unholy nexus" between some airlines and DGCA officials that allows unsafe aircraft, sometimes without certificates, to operate, citing the AI 171 crash as an example. He warned that technical failures during flight could jeopardise passenger safety and stressed that airworthiness certification is the fundamental assurance of an aircraft’s safety.

Wilson demanded that those responsible for allowing unsafe aircraft to operate be punished and that erring officials be sacked. He called for strict action against officials found guilty of wrongdoing.