Will not tolerate compromise on air safety: Ajit Singh

The Government will not tolerate any violation of safety norms on which there will be no compromise, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh asserted today.

"The Civil Aviation Ministry will not tolerate any violation of safety norms. There will be no compromise on air safety," Singh told reporters here.

He was asked to comment on aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) finding that financial distress was leading airlines to violate laid down safety norms.

"DGCA's job is to constantly monitor these issues and pull up the airlines if they fail to fulfil these norms," he said.

A financial audit carried out by DGCA found that widespread sickness in the aviation industry was seriously impacting safety of flight operations and recommended action under Aircraft Rules and the Civil Aviation Requirements.

It has came down heavily on Kingfisher and Air India Express for ignoring safety requirements and has also found serious lapses on part of other carriers on major counts.

Airlines like IndiGo, SpiceJet, Jet Airways, GoAir, Alliance Air and JetLite have been rapped for issues like non-reporting of incidents, lack of pilots, proper and regular training, absence of qualified safety officials and non-compliance of safety audits.