New Delhi [India], July 8 : Members of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday raised serious concerns over aviation safety following the Air India Flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad and the sudden surge in flight fares from Srinagar to other cities after the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, according to sources.
The Parliamentary panel today met with top officials from the Civil Aviation Ministry and representatives from major airlines.
As per sources, several committe members have expressed strong dissatisfaction over the way various airlines drastically increased their fares from and to Srinagar after the April 22 attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
The source also mentioned that many MPs noted that such surge in fares is against the set standards.
A surge in airfares following the terror attack in Pahalgam prompted the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to issue an advisory to airlines regarding sudden fare hikes and to waive cancellation charges.
Among other issues discussed, according to sources, some members from the Opposition parties have demanded a special audit of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
Apart from airfare concerns, MPs discussed the June 12 Air India crash investigation and sought clarity on several key points from ministry officials. A MP sought to know about the time frame for completing investigations and analysis of the plane's Black Box and were there any offers from foreign experts to assist in the investigation.
Officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Ltd. (AAICLAS), BCAS, and representatives from major airlines like Air India, IndiGo, Akasa and SpiceJet were present at the meeting.
Another key issue discussed was the fatal crash of Air India Flight AI-171 on June 12. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. It struck a hostel building of BJ Medical College, killing 241 of the 242 people on board, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has submitted its preliminary report to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and other authorities. According to sources, the crash protection module (CPM) from one of the black boxes was retrieved, and the data was successfully downloaded on June 25 at the AAIB Lab in Delhi. To verify the data, an identical unit known as a "golden chassis" was used.
"One black box was recovered from the rooftop of a building at the crash site on June 13, and the other from the debris on June 16," sources confirmed.
The investigation is being led by the AAIB Director General and includes experts from the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and the US-based National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is the designated investigation body from the country of the aircraft's design. Aviation medicine and air traffic control experts are also part of the team.
Sources said, The NTSB team is currently stationed in Delhi and working closely with Indian authorities at the AAIB Lab. Representatives from Boeing and GE are also present in the national capital to assist with technical matters.
According to officials, this is the first time India is decoding black box data domestically. On June 25, the memory module was successfully accessed and its data was downloaded at the AAIB Lab, the official said.
As of now, all 260 bodies from the AI-171 crash have been identified and handed over to families. Civil Hospital Medical Superintendent Rakesh Joshi confirmed, "A total of 254 DNA matches were done, all identified and handed over. Six were identified through facial recognition."
According to a noting on the Lok Sabha website agenda of today's meeting was to hear Oral evidence of the representatives of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Ltd. (AAICLAS), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and other concerned organizations including Airport Operators and Airlines on the subject "Levy and regulation of fees, tariffs, user charges etc. on public infrastructure and other public utilities".