Civil aviation ministry flags recurring technical lapses in half of India's fleet

Nearly three out of four Air India planes were found to have recurring defects, while one out of three IndiGo planes reported recurring faults between January 2025 and February 2026, according to an analysis undertaken by the country’s civil aviation ministry.

Overall, 50% or 377 of the 754 commercial planes analysed were found to have recurring problems, according to minister of state for aviation Murlidhar Mohol.

The nature of these repetitive defects in aircraft included malfunctions or maintenance issues that recurred on the same aircraft despite previous attempts to fix them. Often defined as the same defect occurring three or more times within a specific number of flight segments, these recurring issues signal that the root cause, such as a component failure, has not been adequately identified or eliminated. Some of these could be safety-related, while others may involve items such as torn seat covers, loose tray tables, and other issues unrelated to the aircraft's safety.

“A total of 377 aircraft have been identified for repetitive defects since January 2025, against 754 aircraft from various scheduled airlines,” the minister said in a written response in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

Repetitive or recurring defects were identified in 148 of 405 IndiGo planes analysed from January 2025, with at least one plane having a recurring issue out of every three planes of the country’s largest carrier.

IndiGo did not reply to Mint’s questionnaire.

The number for the Air India group—which includes Air India and Air India Express—was far higher than that of rival IndiGo, at 71%. Or 191 out of 267 aircraft analysed had recurring defects.

Air India safety

Among the two carriers in the Tata-backed Air India group, the full-service carrier Air India has recorded 82% of its planes with recurring defects, with 137 planes showing repetitive defects out of 166 planes checked.

The group’s low-cost carrier, Air India Express, reported nearly 53% defects. Or one out of every two aeroplanes, that is, 54 out of 101 aircraft.

For context, the Air India group’s operating fleet is 297, while IndiGo's is 440.

In the case of SpiceJet, 16 of the 43 analysed aircraft, or 37%, had recurring defects, while for Akasa Air, the country’s third-largest carrier, 14 of 32 aircraft had recurring defects, the numbers presented by the minister show.

“We have, out of an abundance of caution, carried out checks across our fleet. Hence, numbers are higher,” an Air India spokesperson said.

“In the case of Air India, most of the issues include items like seats, tray tables, screens (on the back of seats) and so on. These are not related to aircraft safety. As the retrofit programme for narrow-body aircraft rolls out over the next two years, these issues will be resolved too,” a top executive of Air India said.

The recurring defect may not necessarily be linked to the safety of an airline, an aviation expert said, on condition of anonymity.

Swapping defective parts

“There is a Minimum Equipment List (MEL) which is maintained by airlines. So the equipment is categorised as A, B and C. For instance, for equipment A, the replacement or repair has to be done the same day. It is a critical component. For B-category equipment, the repair must be completed within 72 hours. And then there is category C, where you do the replacement in 10 days,” explained Captain Mohan Ranganathan, an aviation expert and a former member of the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council.

Ranganathan said that many airlines swap defective parts listed under category C of MEL (for instance, an air conditioning pack) from one aircraft to another. The part is moved from Aircraft A to Aircraft B, giving the airline an additional 10 days to replace it. “It is a loophole that airlines exploit or use to their benefit. If a proper digital trail is done, maybe the aviation regulator will have an idea of such loopholes being exploited,” he added.

For context, the parts mentioned under Category C do not negatively impact airline safety.