New Delhi: In a crackdown on aviation safety violations in the poll season, aviation regulator DGCA on Saturday grounded a business jet owned by the Reliance Commercial Dealers Limited for carrying expired safety equipment on board and also suspended its pilot for not carrying a licence while flying.
The DGCA, which carried out the surprise inspection at New Delhi’s IGI Airport on Saturday afternoon, also searched Jindal Steel and Power Limited’s Global Express BD 700 aircraft and found several major lapses, sources said. While action regarding the Jindal company’s aircraft would be decided on Monday, the Reliance aircraft was grounded immediately just before it was slated to take off, sources said.
Sources said that a 14-seater Falcon 900EX, with call sign VT-ISH and registered in the name of Reliance Commercial Dealers Limited, was grounded after it was found that most safety equipment on board, including a fire extinguisher and personal breathing equipment, were beyond expiry dates. The commander of the aircraft was also not carrying his licence when he was asked to show one, sources said.
