The Indian government has informed the Lok Sabha that almost half of the aircraft inspected for technical issues across domestic airlines were found to have recurring defects. Aircraft operated by Air India and IndiGo accounted for the largest share of these cases.

Between January last year and February 3 this year, a total of 754 aircraft belonging to six scheduled airlines were examined for repeated technical problems. Out of these, 377 aircraft were found to have defects that occurred more than once, according to data shared by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, told Parliament that IndiGo had the highest number of aircraft checked. Out of 405 IndiGo aircraft examined, 148 were found to have recurring technical issues.

Air India also reported a high number of repeat defects. Of the 166 aircraft inspected, 137 were flagged for repeated technical problems, making it one of the highest ratios among all airlines.

Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India, also showed significant numbers, with 54 aircraft reporting recurring defects out of 101 planes examined.

Together, IndiGo and Air India dominate India’s aviation market, controlling nearly 85 per cent of total domestic air traffic, making the findings particularly significant for passenger safety and reliability.

Among other carriers, SpiceJet reported repeated technical defects in 16 aircraft out of 43 inspected. Akasa Air recorded recurring issues in 14 out of 32 aircraft examined.

The government clarified that the inspections focused on identifying defects that appeared more than once, which can indicate deeper maintenance or operational challenges.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation regulator, significantly intensified its safety monitoring activities last year. As part of its planned surveillance, the DGCA carried out 3,890 surveillance inspections, 56 regulatory audits, 84 foreign aircraft checks and 492 ramp inspections.

In addition to these, the regulator conducted 874 spot checks and 550-night inspections as part of unplanned safety monitoring efforts.

To improve oversight and meet future regulatory needs, the government has also increased DGCA’s technical manpower. In 2022, the regulator had 637 sanctioned technical posts. This number has now been revised and expanded to 1,063 sanctioned technical positions.

Despite the high number of recurring defects identified during inspections, the government reported a steady decline in the number of technical faults reported by airlines over the past three years.

In 2023, airlines reported 448 technical fault cases. This number fell to 421 in 2024 and further dropped to 353 in 2025, indicating an overall improvement in operational reliability.