17 air miss incidents reported till July: Govt

New Delhi, Aug 4: As many as 17 incidents where two or more aircraft came close to each other while mid-air have been reported this year till July 10, the government said today.

On August 2, private carrier IndiGo airline's two aircraft came perilously close to each other in the Dhaka airspace and a mid-air disaster was averted after one of the flight's pilot steered away his aircraft to a safer distance.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said 17 incidents of air miss have been reported till July 10 this year.

The number of such incidents stood at 25 in 2015, 31 in 2014 and 23 in 2013, he added. 'Air miss' refers to a situation when two or more planes on different routes are closer than the stipulated safe distance between them.

All such incidents are probed by Airprox Investigation Board set up by aviation regulator DGCA. To a query on whether the government has formed a commission to suggest measures for air safety, Sinha replied in the negative.

"However, safety recommendations emanating from investigations of aircraft serious incidents are followed up for implementation with the concerned agencies by DGCA so as to prevent recurrence of similar serious incident," he said.

In a separate written reply, Sinha said the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) envisages steps for ease of doing business and provide incentives to the Maintenance, Overhaul and Repair (MRO) sector.

Among others, foreign MRO and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) experts would be provided visas promptly and policy for issuing airport entry passes for MRO employees has been revised to facilitate the work, he added.

PTI