An article based on the questions raised by the Toronto Star under the Right to Information Act put to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India's regulator of the skies.
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1022558--flying-rats-and-other-air -scares-cloud-india-s-aviation-industry?bn=1 The contents are shocking for the following reasons: Rats in plane cockpits (they are known to gnaw into vital instrumentation and bring down planes). Mechanical problems on door locks. Lax air traffic control, with instrument landing systems either not available or in poor working order. Safety records destroyed prior to 2010. Pilots paying bribes to obtain licenses. Pilots arriving drunk to work. Pilots forced to fly even when sick. In 17 weeks of reports obtained by The Star, there were: 31 engineering incidents. 28 bird hits. 8 ground incidents. 3 incidents of planes on the same flight path. This is a dismal record of Indian Aviation for which a total lack of regulation is partly responsible. Roland. Toronto.
