Article Posted on : - Jun 10, 2009

A file photo of Air India Airbus A330

New Delhi (BNS): India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered comprehensive checks of all Airbus A330s aircraft currently operating with Indian carriers.

A media report Wednesday said the civil aviation regulator has ordered the checks following the 1 June crash of an Air France A330 liner over the Atlantic that killed 228 people onboard.

Jet Airways operates 12 A330s, Kingfisher five and Air India two. All Indian A330s operate on international routes.

French air accident agency (BEA) suspects that faulty speed sensors that gave inconsistent speed readings could have been one of the factors responsible for downed the A330 while it was on its way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.

According to DNA reports from Mumbai, officials from airlines in India owning the Airbus 330 aircraft said there was nothing to fear as they have checked the AirSpeed sensors according to the manufacturer's direction. “We have checked the sensors of our two Airbus 330s. There is no problem with them.”

Jet Airways spokesperson said, "Two of our aircraft have been given on lease. In January 2008, Airbus had called for an inspection of the AirSpeed indication system of the Airbus 330 fleet. All inspections in accordance with airbus requirement were completed by April 2009,” he added, “ We are in continuous communication with Airbus. If and when any new development/requirement arises it will be complied with.”

The spokesperson for Kingfisher said the aircraft were equipped with the latest speed sensors. "All the aircraft in the fleet of Kingfisher Airlines are fitted with the latest version of the sensors. There are no mandated updates pending," he said. "We are in touch with Airbus. We follow all precautionary guidelines issued by the aircraft manufacturer," he added.