GS PAPER II: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

Context: The aviation safety experts said that the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) must punish SpiceJet for the mid-air wedding over Madurai instead of scapegoating pilots and cabin crew who were only following the instructions given to them by their airline.

• The biggest violation by the airline is allowing a wedding group of more than 160 people when wedding events of more than 50 are banned by the State.
• None of the passengers can be seen wearing face visors and PPE suits, which are mandatory for passengers occupying the middle seats.
• The DGCA has repeatedly warned airlines that passengers violating COVID-19 protocols must be offloaded and put on no-fly list.
• This incident highlights the lack of proper oversight on chartered flights. As the rules and protocols that apply for regular passenger flights are often not enforced for non-scheduled or chartered operations.

About Directorate General of Civil Aviation

• It is the statutory body formed under the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
• It investigates aviation accidents and incidents, maintains all regulations related to aviation and is responsible for issuance of licenses pertaining to aviation like PPL's, SPL's and CPL's in India.
• The Government of India is planning to replace the organisation with a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), modelled on the lines of the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Functions of DGCA:

• Registration of civil aircraft
• Certification of airports
• Licensing to pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, air traffic controllers and flight engineers, and conducting examinations and checks for that purpose
• Formulation of standards of airworthiness for civil aircraft registered in India and grant of certificates of airworthiness to such aircraft
• Conducting investigation into incidents and serious incidents involving aircraft up to 2250 kg AUW and taking accident prevention measures, including formulation of implementation of Safety Aviation Management Programmes
• Checks on the proficiency of flight crew and other operational personnel such as flight dispatchers and cabin crew

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/plane-wedding-dgca-must-act-say-experts/article34640610.ece?homepage=true

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