The Centre on Thursday directed the Directorate of Civil Aviation to prepare a safety audit plan within 30 days involving assessment of safety parameters of airlines, airports, flying training schools and companies carrying out maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft, ANI reported.
The office of Minister of Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu issued the directive soon after at least 30 passengers on a Jet Airways flights from Mumbai to Jaipur on Thursday started bleeding from their nose and ears as the crew forgot to switch on the system to maintain cabin pressure. Five passengers suffered minor trauma to their ears.
“The minister has further directed that the safety audit should be commenced forthwith and a report to this effect should be submitted for his perusal within 30 days,” Prabhu’s office said. “He said that corrective action should be taken immediately on the deficiencies found out, if any, during such audit.”
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has initiated an investigation into the incident. “The flight’s cockpit crew has been taken off scheduled duties pending investigation,” an unidentified Jet Airways spokesperson told ANI.
Chief Operating Officer of Dr Balabhai Nanavati Hospital Rajendra Patankar said preliminary tests showed the five passengers suffered barotrauma of ear, which is caused due to a change in air pressure. Mild conductive deafness is a temporary condition which is likely to take a week or 10 days to heal. “They are advised not to fly till then,” Patankar said.
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