Beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines will have to seek the nod of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) before resuming operations after a partial shutdown, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said here on Wednesday.
Talking to reporters here, Mr. Singh said the DGCA had asked the crisis-ridden airline to submit a report on the airworthiness of its aircraft before resuming operations. “The DGCA will satisfy itself for the safety of the aircraft to undertake flights before it allows normal operations to resume. The aircraft safety certification has to come from the engineering wing and not from the airline’s administrative set-up,’’ a senior DGCA official remarked.
The airline would be using its current fleet - seven Airbus A-320s and two turbo-prop ATRs - to resume flights. The airline had been operating about 70-80 flights each day till it declared a partial lock-out on Monday, following a strike by engineers and pilots for non-payment of salaries since March.
The DGCA is likely to carry out an inspection on the safety and air worthiness of the aircraft, and submit an interim report to the Ministry shortly. The airline has also been asked to provide a certified report on the issue at the earliest. “We will only then take a decision on the airline's operations after the submission of the report. I have no idea on the implications of the safety issues on Kingfisher's flying licence as of now,’’ Mr. Singh added.
