Dhaka: India's scheduled commercial airlines have logged a total of 2,094 technical defects over the past four and a half years, according to official data submitted in Parliament.

The figures, drawn from incident reports filed with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), span from 2021 through mid-2025. The breakdown shows: 2021 – 514 incidents, 2022 – 528 incidents,
2023 – 448 incidents, 2024 – 421 incidents, First half of 2025 – 183 incidents

The information was disclosed by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol in response to parliamentary questions regarding aviation safety.

While the DGCA monitors and investigates all reported technical issues, the ministry did not indicate that the number of defects posed a systemic safety concern.

Indian carriers operate under strict oversight, with routine inspections and compliance checks aligned with international aviation standards.

The bulk of these reports come from IndiGo, India's largest airline by market share, which has led the list with 179 defect reports in 2021, 215 in 2022 and 246 in 2023.

Although the number significantly dropped to 46 in 2024, it has started inching upward again, with 62 already registered in 2025.

Another budget carrier, SpiceJet, showed a worrying pattern in earlier years with 170 and 143 defects in 2021 and 2022, respectively, but the numbers have sharply declined to single digits this year.

Tata-owned Air India, which is under immense scrutiny after the deadly plane crash in Ahmedabad, along with Air India Express, has seen a dramatic rise in technical issues.

From a combined 76 defects in 2021, the figure surged to 253 in 2024. In 2025 alone, 85 issues have already been recorded, including 61 involving Air India Express, a carrier that has recently drawn headlines for multiple air return incidents and suspected technical lapses.

Meanwhile, Vistara, which is also part of the Tata Group and has now been merged with Air India saw fluctuations with 97 defects in 2022, to the figure to 79 and 44 in the two subsequent years.

Besides, airlines have also received a steady influx of passenger complaints. As many as 4,131 grievances were filed in 2021. The number slightly dipped to 3,783 in 2022, but surged to over 5,500 in 2023, the highest in the five-year window.

Though the figures dropped again in 2024, the current year has already logged nearly 4,000 complaints by mid-July.

Lawmakers had also sought to know whether any airlines had failed to comply with Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) related to defect reporting or rectification.

While the government did not directly name defaulting carriers, it acknowledged that non-compliance was addressed through mandatory rectification and intensified oversight. Observations made during inspections are shared with the concerned airline for corrective action, it added.

-B

MENAFN28072025000163011034ID1109850077