New Delhi: Covid-19 has not only claimed human lives, but it has also had an indirect impact on the aviation industry. Arun Kumar, Chief of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), stated that lockdowns were implemented to prevent the spread of the pandemic, which resulted in reduced aircraft operations. This may be the cause of the rising number of technical issues that Indian airlines are reporting.

“The reasons for the increasing number of technical snags appear to be Covid-related, which impacted airline operations due to lockdown and curtailed operations, etc. Also, there is a universal problem of manpower shortage after Covid, not just with one airline or one country,” Kumar said in an interview with the Indian Express.

“What is required is that as flight crew, you need to be alert, vigilant, and respond to situations as they unfold, and if you follow the standard operating procedures, you can navigate without compromising safety. This means that if on ground, you attend to symptoms of snag before proceeding further; and if in air, do the checklist actions appropriately and, if required, seek a priority, precautionary or emergency landing as the case may be,” he added.

He said that many of the technical issues were essentially normal and emphasised that the aviation safety agency is expanding its surveillance in an effort to reduce such occurrences. According to official statistics obtained from the DGCA, airlines reported more than 460 technical issues in the previous year.

The commander also commended pilots for their “confidence” in handling such difficulties. He said that the safety of the passengers had not been jeopardised by the pilots.

Technical issues have plagued Indian airlines for the past few months, from engine snags and burning cabin odour to cabin depressurization. Low-cost carrier SpiceJet reported at least eight incidents between May and June. As a result, the regulator gave the airline a show-cause notice.