New Delhi, February 10 The DGCA, the aviation regulatory body, has initiated a special safety audit of non-scheduled flight operators, including VSR Ventures, following the plane crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others in January.
The Learjet 45 aircraft that crashed near the Baramati airport on January 28 belonged to VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd. Pawar and four others were killed in the crash, which is being investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated on Tuesday that, following the crash of VSR Ventures' Learjet 45 aircraft, VT-SSK, on January 28, it has ordered a phased safety audit of non-scheduled operators.
The audit began on February 4, the regulator announced on X.
The special safety audit of VSR Ventures and 14 other non-scheduled operators was ordered on February 2. The audit will continue until February 25 for the 14 non-scheduled operators.
The DGCA shared the orders on X hours after NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar alleged that there was reason to suspect sabotage in the tragic air crash that killed his uncle Ajit Pawar last month, and demanded a comprehensive probe by multiple expert agencies.
Meanwhile, on January 28, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu had said that the AAIB would take a thorough look into the plane crash near the Baramati airstrip, and that there were no safety concerns regarding the aircraft's operator.