The Indian DGCA – India’s aviation regulator has suspended operations at two flight training schools after it found their facilities in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, India were unfit.

One of the two schools is well known Flight School Chimes Aviation Academy which has an airline cadetship program with leading Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo. “Operations at the school have been stopped till such time the runway is suitable for flying operations. During inspection, it was observed that it had loose gravel and uneven surface and was unsafe for flying,” said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in a statement.

Sources said that Dhana’s flying strip in Dhana was hardly used in the last two years as the state government failed to maintain it in the coronavirus. “Chimes has decided to do the maintenance work on the air strip itself as the process by the state government will take a lot of time. The facility will be ready for flying in three weeks,” said an executive of the flying school.

The second Flight School is said to be SVKM NMIMS Academy of Aviation in Shirpur, Maharashtra where three aircraft had a dysfunctional fuel gauge indicator. “The flying operations at this school have been stopped for three weeks. It will be allowed to operate only when things are in order,” DGCA said.

The latest enforcements come as the Indian DGCA continues to ramp up surprise checks following its industry wide audit after a number of incidents and accidents in Flight Schools this year.

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