Airlines flouting safety rules will have to fork out up to Rs 10L fine

New Delhi: Cost-cutting on aircraft maintenance, which endangers passenger safety, will soon cost airlines dear. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has hiked the penalty for violation of rules on safety and passenger comfort — from a measly range of Rs 250-1,000 earlier, it is now a whopping Rs 10 lakh, on the upper limit. And the maximum punishment of one month at present is being enhanced to two years.
Working on a philosophy of ‘‘zero tolerance for wilful defaulters’’, DGCA chief Nasim Zaidi is getting the stiff graded-penalty system readied, which will be implemented very soon. Shockingly, the existing puny punishment has hardly ever been used and old timers don’t recall a single case being pursued in any court for enforcement of even the few days’ jail term.
‘‘There are rules called civil aviation requirements (CAR) for all important aviation sectors like flight safety and passenger rights. Their violation is now being made a costly affair for airlines and we are going to have a separate team for ensuring that action is taken against defaulters,’’ said a senior official. While laying down strict punishment, DGCA is also simultaneously planning to incentivise self-regulation as Zaidi does not want an inspector raj.
10/05/09 Saurabh Sinha/Economic Times

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

Categories: Indian Aviation- In General May 2009, Safety May 2009