Wobbly A-320s are still flying

New Delhi: Following frequent instances of hydraulic failures in IA’s fleet of A-320s that keep putting passenger safety at risk, the aviation ministry has admitted this is a "known problem area" in this type of aircraft.
Acknowledging that there have been ‘‘several incidents’’, the government asked IA to take up the issue with Airbus which has come out with modifications to the system ‘‘to improve their reliability’’. But only some of the changes have been carried out and the snag-prone plane continues to fly.
These shocking revelations were made by the aviation ministry at a recent meeting of its standing committee in Cochin in response to Rajya Sabha member Dinesh Trivedi’s queries on growing number of hydraulic failures in IA and Air India (AI). This system controls vital areas of a plane like landing gear, flight control and steering. IA has 48 A-320s in its fleet of 74 aircraft.
08/03/07 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: indian mar 2007, Safety Mar 2007