Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu
The government will not allow public trust in India’s aviation sector to be compromised due to the recent Air India Phuket-Delhi flight-related incidents, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu told businessline, adding that all necessary steps will be undertaken to enhance safe operations.The assertion comes even as investigations into “all significant aspects” are ongoing in the recent Air India incident in which an Airbus A320neo, registered VT-EXO, lost 300 feet of altitude within seconds, injuring 20 passengers and four crew members.The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is examining aspects related to the incident, including turbulence, pilots’ drug-test results and any faults in the aircraft’s flight-control systems.Preventing Incidents“The trust of the public in aviation is what led to the success of aviation in India in the first place. In no way will we ever allow that trust to break,” Naidu said.“All significant aspects regarding the incident are being investigated and AAIB will soon come out with a report.”The minister said that MoCA (Ministry of Civil Aviation) would ensure that incidents such as these do not recur.However, he said that it was too early to draw conclusions or to take effective measures before the completion of a proper investigation.According to Naidu, stringent steps would be undertaken to strengthen the existing Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) if any shortcomings were identified during the investigation.“India remains one of the safest aviation markets in the world,” he added.Stringent ActionMeanwhile, the preliminary report into the August 4 Air India flight AI2379 incident is expected to be completed within the next 10-15 days, sources have told businessline.Following the preliminary investigation report by the AAIB, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will decide on any action against Air India, sources said.As per sources, the regulator will “not micro-manage any airline’s operations but will fix liability.”Sources said ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and established procedures is the responsibility of the airline’s management.“All options are on the table, including stringent action and strictures against Air India. Fines and management liability cannot be ruled out at this stage,” sources said.Nevertheless, they clarified that these proposed actions can only be decided after the preliminary investigation report is out.Apart from fines and management liability, enhanced surveillance measures on the airline may also be imposed, depending on the findings of the investigation, sources said.Published on August 14, 2026
