Runway Confusion and Aviation Safety Concerns in India

Recent Incident and Historical Context

The Air India incident at Goa’s Mopa airport on December 5, 2024, highlights persistent issues of runway confusion in Indian aviation. The Hyderabad-bound aircraft mistakenly entered a parallel taxiway instead of the main runway, a recurring issue in India’s aviation history.

• Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA): Often attributes these incidents to pilot error but fails to implement corrective measures.
• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO): Requires member states to investigate and prevent aviation incidents, a mandate inadequately met by India.

Notable Historical Incidents

• 1993: Jet Airways landed at Sulur air base instead of Peelamedu airport.
• 2002: Jet Airways landed on the taxi track in Goa's Dabolim airport.
• 2018: Air India aircraft landed on an under-construction runway in the Maldives.
• 2020: Spicejet had a hard touchdown short of the runway in Guwahati.

Despite the potential for serious consequences, none of these incidents resulted in fatalities.

Systemic Failures and Comparisons

The failure to prevent recurrences of runway confusion is attributed to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA, and airlines.

• Singapore Airlines' response to a 2000 crash exemplifies successful corrective action, contrasting with India's inadequate measures.

Runway Overrun Accidents

Since 2005, multiple incidents of high and fast approach have resulted in runway overruns.

• 2005: Air Sahara experienced serious damage after overrunning the runway in Mumbai.
• 2019: Spicejet aircraft overran the runway in Mumbai.
• 179 lives lost in Mangaluru and Kozhikode crashes due to overruns.

Blame often falls on pilots rather than training deficiencies or regulatory failures.

Training and Safety Standards

India has inadequate training and safety standards, compounded by regulatory oversights.

• Pilots often face pressure to violate flight time limits and prioritize "on time performance" (OTP).
• In accidents like Kozhikode, "press-on-it-is" mentality resulted in ignoring co-pilot inputs.

Judicial and Regulatory Challenges

Recent deferment of flight and duty time limits due to airline pressure poses a significant safety risk.

• A High Court decision asking DGCA to negotiate highlights judicial misunderstandings of aviation safety issues.

Household Consumption Expenditure Survey in North-Eastern States

The analysis of household consumption expenditure survey (HCES) data from August 2023 to July 2024 highlights significant growth in monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) in certain North-Eastern states of India.

Key Highlights

• Rural Sikkim
  • MPCE increased by 21.3% to Rs 9,377.
• Rural Tripura
  • MPCE grew by 20.2%.
• Rural Nagaland
  • MPCE saw a 17.4% growth.
• Rural Mizoram
  • MPCE increased by 14.2%.
• Urban Meghalaya
  • MPCE rose by 21.9% to Rs 7,839.
• Urban Manipur
  • MPCE grew by 21.8%.
• Urban Sikkim
  • MPCE increased by 15.1%.

Consumption Inequality

• The Gini coefficient is used as a measure of consumption inequality.
• It declined to 0.237 in 2023-24 from 0.266 in 2022-23 for rural areas.
• In urban areas, it decreased to 0.284 in 2023-24 from 0.314 in 2022-23.

Additional Economic Context

• Crypto Assets: Could potentially negatively impact financial stability as per the RBI report.
• Microfinance Sector: Observed a doubling of stress from April to September as noted by RBI.
• Economic Outlook: High confidence and a bright outlook as per RBI Governor Malhotra.
• Secured Loans: RBI flags risks due to slippages in smaller personal loans.
• External Debt: Stood at $711.8 billion as of September, marking a 4.3% rise from June according to the Finance Ministry.