Kolkata/Chennai: The cancellation of an IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Shillong after an engine failure has led to DMK MP P Wilson raising concerns over aviation safety.
The aircraft was “unsafe”, the MP has claimed, questioning how it was granted an airworthiness certificate.
Wilson has sought the intervention of civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct an impartial review of airworthiness certificates of all aircraft operating across the country and undertake surprise inspections to ensure passenger safety.
“Today, when I, along with three other MPs and 67 passengers, boarded IndiGo flight 6E 7423 from Kolkata Airport to Shillong to attend a Joint Parliamentary Committee public hearing, the flight suddenly stopped while taxiing from the parking bay towards the runway. Before take-off, an engine failed and was shut down. Passengers were stranded on board for about two hours. Afterwards, the pilot announced a technical glitch and cancelled the flight,” he posted on X on Sunday evening.
The incident raised serious concerns about the regulatory checks carried out before aircraft are permitted to operate, Wilson said.
“The truth is that the flight was unsafe, and it is unclear how the DGCA granted this aircraft an airworthiness certificate-a serious violation,” he said.
The MP urged the civil aviation minister to direct the DGCA to review all airworthiness certificates and establish whether aircraft operating across the country were genuinely fit to fly. He also called for surprise inspections by vigilance units wherever required.
“If they are not, the DGCA should cancel their certificates, ground the aircraft and prohibit them from flying,” Wilson said.
He further alleged an “unholy nexus” between certain airlines and DGCA officials, claiming that it allows unsafe aircraft, sometimes without certificates, to continue operating, as reported by ANI.
“The unholy nexus between some airlines and some DGCA officials that allows them to operate unsafe aircraft, sometimes without certificates, often leads to flight crashes,” he alleged.
The MP highlighted the risks faced by passengers, questioning the consequences of technical failures occurring during a flight and said people travel by air trust that the aircraft are safe.
“The innocent public trusts that flights are safe and undertakes journeys. What happens if a flight develops technical snags in mid-air?” he said.
“Airworthiness certification is the most fundamental assurance that an aircraft is technically safe to fly. An airworthiness certificate cannot be allowed to remain valid for an aircraft that is truly unworthy to fly,” Wilson said.
Any compromise in the certification process directly affects passenger safety, operational integrity and global regulatory norms, he added.
Calling for accountability, Wilson demanded punishment for those responsible for allowing unsafe aircraft to operate and sought strict action against officials found guilty of wrongdoing.
“The offenders should be punished, and erring officials should be sacked,” he said.