Repetitive defects found in 377 aircraft of Indian carriers since Jan 2025; IndiGo, Air India top list

As many as 377 aircraft operated by scheduled Indian airlines have been identified for repetitive technical defects since January 2025, according to government data tabled in Parliament.

The airline with the highest number of aircraft flagged was IndiGo, with 148 planes identified for repetitive defects out of 405 analysed, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

Nearly three-fourths of the Air India Group's planes that were analysed for repetitive defects have been identified as having recurring defects.

Of the 166 Air India aircraft analysed, 137 planes were identified for repetitive defects, while 54 Air India Express aircraft were identified for repetitive defects of the 101 aircraft analysed, the data showed.

Speaking on the data, an Air India spokesperson said, "We have, out of abundance caution, carried out checks across our fleet. Hence, numbers are higher.

A senior Air India executive said there are different types of equipment which are checked on planes. These are categorised into A, B, C and D segments, depending on the priority or urgency of the equipment.

"In case of Air India, most of the issues are with category D, which includes items like seats, tray tables, screens (on the back of seats) and so on. These are not related to the safety of the aircraft," the executive said.

SpiceJet had 16 aircraft identified for repetitive defects out of 43 reviewed, while Akasa Air had 14 out of 32.

Alliance Air reported eight aircraft with repetitive defects against seven analysed.

The government also said that the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducted extensive surveillance during 2025, including 3,890 surveillance inspections, 56 regulatory audits, 84 checks on foreign aircraft and 492 ramp inspections.

Mohol said DGCA has mandated the use of the eGCA portal for all surveillance and enforcement activities.

In response to another question, the minister said that DGCA’s sanctioned technical posts have been increased to 1,063 from 637 earlier following a restructuring exercise.