WHILE it would be improper to hazard a guess for the reason for the recent air crash in Mangalore on May 22, and we should wait for the inquiry report, it is time to review the capacity and quality of our air safety surveillance. This major airline crash took place about 10 years after the Patna crash of what was then Indian Airlines. During this time our record has been relatively accident-free. However, with a major growth in air traffic during this period, there have been informal reports of many "near-misses"; such incidents generally go unrecorded. The last such took place in Mumbai on May 27.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation has the responsibility for international surveillance of each country's safety practices, as well as the mandate to harmonise them. It also does a safety audit of all its member countries (practically every UN member). The audit programme was started on January 1, 1999 and has since audited all countries. Its report on India in 2006 was hardly good. Out of the eight "critical element" categories, it gave India 9 out of 10 marks in licensing and certification; 8 in specific operating regulations; 7 in surveillance obligations; and 6 each in primary aviation legislation and technical guidance and tools.
However, it gave only 5 out of 10 for resolution of safety concerns; 4 out of 10 for the state civil aviation system and its safety oversight function; and an abysmal 2 out of 10 for technical personnel qualification and training. While the report could be considered below average, especially with regards to technical personnel, it was the US's Federal Aviation Authority which first took up cudgels with India's civil aviation ministry in 2008-09 when it threat ened to downgrade India from Category 1 to 2 in their system; they categorise countries based on their safety surveillance parameters. With a large number of vacant safety-related posts in spite of a huge increase in traffic, the condition of India's safety surveillance system was unacceptable to them.
It is unfortunate that things were allowed to deteriorate in India so much. Finally it was prime ministerial intervention which put our house in order; he ordered the revival of lapsed posts which had not been routinely filled up, and the creation of new safety-related posts. A very large number of technical posts have since been created but it is difficult to fill them up -due to an unattractive salary package and an excruciatingly painful and slow recruitment process followed by the Union Public Service Commission.
Neglecting safety issues in the face of increasing air traffic invites trouble. Adding to this is the highly competitive environment in which airlines are working. If we look at the financial position of airlines in general we can see that they have deteriorated over the years. From the 9/11 incident to the financial crisis, with swine flu and H1N1 in between, world air traffic has had something of a roller-coaster ride. In India, the impact of all this has been felt on both the domestic and international fronts. Most of India's airlines are in the red.
While airlines might say that safety is as much a concern of theirs as that of passengers and government, cutting corners in times of deep financial crisis cannot be ruled out. In this connection a recent proposal by the DGCA to monitor finances from a safety perspective is a welcome move. According to this draft proposal, there is a need to carry out the "evaluation of air carrier's management of significant changes to identify airlines in distress either due to financial issues or operational issues, so as to ensure that safety oversight functions are not affected and also to pin-point changes in the operating environment conditions, which significantly alter the balance between resources and operations." It is heartening to see that the DGCA has taken note of the precarious finances of the airline industry where many of them are unable to pay even fuel or airport charges. It has, therefore, called for an "examination of any condition that may indicate a significant deterioration in the operator's financial condition." In some cases in recent times aircraft on lease by our airlines have been recalled by their owners for nonpayment of lease charges. Under these circumstances, the DGCA's draft proposal is very welcome.
The writer is chairman, The International Foundation of Aviation, Aerospace and Development. He is based in Delhi express@expressindia.com A very large number of technical posts have since been created but it is difficult to fill them up, due to an unattractive salary package and the excruciatingly painful UPSC process.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation has the responsibility for international surveillance of each country's safety practices, as well as the mandate to harmonise them. It also does a safety audit of all its member countries (practically every UN member). The audit programme was started on January 1, 1999 and has since audited all countries. Its report on India in 2006 was hardly good. Out of the eight "critical element" categories, it gave India 9 out of 10 marks in licensing and certification; 8 in specific operating regulations; 7 in surveillance obligations; and 6 each in primary aviation legislation and technical guidance and tools.
However, it gave only 5 out of 10 for resolution of safety concerns; 4 out of 10 for the state civil aviation system and its safety oversight function; and an abysmal 2 out of 10 for technical personnel qualification and training. While the report could be considered below average, especially with regards to technical personnel, it was the US's Federal Aviation Authority which first took up cudgels with India's civil aviation ministry in 2008-09 when it threat ened to downgrade India from Category 1 to 2 in their system; they categorise countries based on their safety surveillance parameters. With a large number of vacant safety-related posts in spite of a huge increase in traffic, the condition of India's safety surveillance system was unacceptable to them.
It is unfortunate that things were allowed to deteriorate in India so much. Finally it was prime ministerial intervention which put our house in order; he ordered the revival of lapsed posts which had not been routinely filled up, and the creation of new safety-related posts. A very large number of technical posts have since been created but it is difficult to fill them up -due to an unattractive salary package and an excruciatingly painful and slow recruitment process followed by the Union Public Service Commission.
Neglecting safety issues in the face of increasing air traffic invites trouble. Adding to this is the highly competitive environment in which airlines are working. If we look at the financial position of airlines in general we can see that they have deteriorated over the years. From the 9/11 incident to the financial crisis, with swine flu and H1N1 in between, world air traffic has had something of a roller-coaster ride. In India, the impact of all this has been felt on both the domestic and international fronts. Most of India's airlines are in the red.
While airlines might say that safety is as much a concern of theirs as that of passengers and government, cutting corners in times of deep financial crisis cannot be ruled out. In this connection a recent proposal by the DGCA to monitor finances from a safety perspective is a welcome move. According to this draft proposal, there is a need to carry out the "evaluation of air carrier's management of significant changes to identify airlines in distress either due to financial issues or operational issues, so as to ensure that safety oversight functions are not affected and also to pin-point changes in the operating environment conditions, which significantly alter the balance between resources and operations." It is heartening to see that the DGCA has taken note of the precarious finances of the airline industry where many of them are unable to pay even fuel or airport charges. It has, therefore, called for an "examination of any condition that may indicate a significant deterioration in the operator's financial condition." In some cases in recent times aircraft on lease by our airlines have been recalled by their owners for nonpayment of lease charges. Under these circumstances, the DGCA's draft proposal is very welcome.
The writer is chairman, The International Foundation of Aviation, Aerospace and Development. He is based in Delhi express@expressindia.com A very large number of technical posts have since been created but it is difficult to fill them up, due to an unattractive salary package and the excruciatingly painful UPSC process.
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