In view of multiple incidents on passenger aircraft over in recent weeks, the aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday said it conducted spot checks and found lapses in availability of engineering staff certified to clear aircraft for flying.
The DGCA’s checks also found issues in clearances granted by aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs), said officials familiar with the matter.
According to one official, it was found that causes of reported defects were not being identified properly. Also, an increasing trend of minimum equipment list (MEL) releases was seen.
An MEL is a list of certified equipment issued by the DGCA. A certified AME is allowed to release an aircraft for flying if this listed equipment is not available, for a specific period of time, until the repairs are done.
