Nearly 50% of India’s aircraft found with recurring defects; Air India Group tops list: Govt tells Lok Sabha

Nearly half of the aircraft operating in India have been flagged for recurring technical defects, the government told the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Data from the Ministry of Civil Aviation showed that 377 aircraft were found to have repetitive defects out of 754 aircraft analysed across six scheduled airlines since January last year.

The information was shared by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol in a written reply to Parliament, based on inspections conducted up to February 3 this year.

IndiGo

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Market leader IndiGo had 405 aircraft analysed, with 148 aircraft identified as having recurring technical issues.

Air India Group

The Air India Group recorded the highest proportion of aircraft with repetitive defects. Of the 267 aircraft analysed across Air India and Air India Express, 191 aircraft — nearly 72 per cent — were flagged.

Also Read: CCI orders probe into IndiGo over mass flight cancellations in December

Air India: 137 of 166 aircraft affected

Air India Express: 54 of 101 aircraft affected

Inspections showed that nearly three-fourths of the Air India Group fleet had repeated technical deficiencies.

Other airlines

SpiceJet: 16 of 43 aircraft analysed showed recurring defects

Akasa Air: 14 of 32 aircraft were found to have repetitive technical issues

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Most defects not safety-critical

The government clarified that most of the reported defects were not safety-critical and were detected during routine maintenance and inspections. Officials said such issues are addressed in accordance with prescribed safety protocols.

Over 6,900 IndiGo flights cancelled in three months

Separately, the government informed the Lok Sabha that IndiGo had cancelled 6,936 flights during the last three months, affecting over 1.08 million passengers. It said the sharp rise in cancellations in December 2025 was linked to over-optimisation of operations, insufficient regulatory preparedness, shortcomings in system software support, and lapses in management structure and operational control, besides adverse weather.

The airline must execute corrective actions, which will help restore its operational stability while decreasing passenger disruptions and providing assistance to travelers who are currently stuck at airports. The airline must follow Civil Aviation Requirements to issue refunds and compensation through cash payments and bank transfers and travel vouchers, which require passenger approval.

Also Read: Air India steps into a new era with upgraded fleet and new lounges: CEO Campbell Wilson