An IndiGo flight from Calcutta to Shillong was cancelled after the aircraft suffered an engine failure while taxiing towards the runway at Calcutta airport on Sunday, prompting DMK MP P. Wilson to seek an impartial review of aircraft airworthiness certificates issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Wilson, who was travelling on the flight with three other MPs and 67 passengers, said the aircraft stopped while moving towards the runway. The passengers remained on board for about two hours before the pilot informed them of a technical glitch and the flight was cancelled.
An airport official said the flight was scheduled to take off at 1.40pm but was grounded following the engine failure. Wilson later travelled on another flight at 5pm via Guwahati.
In a post on X, Wilson questioned how the aircraft could have received an airworthiness certificate if it was not fit to operate. He urged Union civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu to direct the DGCA to conduct an impartial review of airworthiness certificates for aircraft operating across India.
Wilson also called for surprise vigilance checks where required and the cancellation of certificates issued to aircraft found to be unfit to fly. He alleged an “unholy nexus” between some airlines and DGCA officials, claiming that this could allow unsafe aircraft to operate. Those allegations have not been independently established in the report.
The MP cited the AI 171 crash while arguing that airworthiness certification was the fundamental assurance of an aircraft’s technical safety. He sought action against those responsible and the dismissal of officials found to have erred. IndiGo did not comment on the incident, and the report did not mention any DGCA response.
The incident took place as the aircraft was taxiing and before the scheduled flight could take off. The report did not state the aircraft type, the nature of the engine failure, whether anyone was injured or whether the DGCA had opened an inquiry.
