SpiceJet, Vistara, Jet Airways shoot off letter to Jayant Sinha over safety concerns, misreporting of data

Several major airlines have asked the government to investigate the matter of "inaccurate" reporting of technical snags by some other passenger carriers. In a letter dated March 28, to the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, SpiceJet, Vistara and Jet Airways alleged that the "number of technical snags being reported by various airlines is inaccurate".  SpiceJet, Vistara, Jet Airways letter said, "It seems apparent that the number of technical snags being reported by various airlines is inaccurate. This discrepancy or misreporting of data is leading to the false illusion of the relative safety of some airlines over others. As you are aware, reporting of snags and defects is mandatory in India and accurate reporting of such snags is in the interest of passengers and aviation safety".

"We request you to get this matter investigated by the DGCA so that accurate information may be made available to the Parliament of India and the travelling public," the letter added.

The development comes after Jayant Sinha in a reply to a question informed the Rajya Sabha that airlines in India had reported a total of 24,791 defects or snags in 2017.