India: Flying getting riskier as safety incidents exceed 2015

It’s getting increasingly unsafe to fly in the world’s fastest growing aviation market. Air safety incidents that prompted regulatory action reached 280 this year, beating the 275 all of last year, data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation showed. At this pace, the number may rise to more than 400 by the end of 2016, making it the worst in three years for aviation safety, according to New Delhi-based DGCA. The DGCA is cracking down on safety violations by airlines in recent months, including a slew of offenses such as aircraft getting too close to each other, overworked staff and inebriated pilots and crew. In the latest incident, the DGCA ordered Jet Airways India and state-owned Air India to file police complaints against pilots who were found drunk, seeking legal action for the first time ever in such cases. The Indian aviation market, which saw air traffic grow 20% last year -- double the pace of China’s, according to IATA -- is struggling to find enough officials to ensure safety of flights. That was one of the reasons why the US FAA downgraded India’s aviation safety rating in 2014, before restoring it a year later following some corrective measures.<br/>