Civil Aviation Minister reviews airlines’ performance in view of  rescheduling of flights  –

 
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu today reviewed the safety aspects, passenger facilitation and airline performance during his meeting with the senior officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry and senior representatives of Airlines operators.
Mr. Naidu convened a detailed video conference with all Airport Directors across the country to review ground-level preparedness and passenger support mechanisms. The meeting was held in the light of rescheduling of flights due to post-accident checks, weather changes, closing of certain airspaces because of geopolitical tensions, etc. The minister directed them to maintain close liaison with airlines to address passenger issues on the spot, and to ensure availability of food, drinking water, and adequate seating facilities at terminals during flight delays or congestion. He also directed them to provide sufficient personnel to manage passenger grievances.
The Minister also held a high-level meeting with the CMD of Air India. The discussion focused on maintaining operational continuity, supporting transparent communication and passengers’ safety and convenience. Air India was asked to strengthen its ground-level coordination at airports, improve communication with passengers regarding cancellations and delays. Air India pointed out that due to various reasons including the evolving situation in West Asia, it is facing reduced aircraft availability. As a result, Air India is temporarily scaling down operations, and restructuring flights. The flight changes are being announced through media, and the affected passengers rebooked or offered full refunds.
The Minister also reviewed the fleet performance, safety oversight, passengers experience and convenience and the airline communication strategy with senior managements of Spice Jet, Indigo and Akasa.
On the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, the Civil Aviation Ministry has said that The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau investigation is progressing steadily with all necessary support from local authorities and agencies. Key recovery works, including site documentation and evidence collection, have been completed, and further analysis is now underway.
            On the media reports regarding CVR/DFDR from the ill-fated AI 171 flight is being sent abroad for retrieval and analysis, the Ministry said that decision regarding the location for decoding the flight recorders will be taken by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau after due assessment of all technical, safety, and security considerations.