Patna, Dec. 4: The civil aviation department is planning to get the state government’s approval for getting a new auto-pilot fitted in a King Air C-90 aircraft that is grounded for over two years.

Earlier, the department had failed to get air-worthiness certificate from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the aircraft because of certain problems in its auto-pilot feature.

“We tried our best to get the from DGCA for flying the aircraft without the auto-pilot feature, but failed. The only option that is available with us to purchase the necessary equipment formaking the auto-pilot functional. A proposal in this regard will soon be sent to the cabinet for its approval,” a source in the state civil aviation department told The Telegraph.

The source added that about Rs 1.5 crore would be spent for fitting the new equipment in the aircraft.

DGCA has not been issuing air-worthiness certificate to the 35-year-old aircraft, a nine-seater (7+2), from 2009 on the ground that its auto-pilot feature has become defunct. Air worthiness certificate from DGCA has to be obtained every year for any aircraft that is over 20 years old. For newer aircraft, the air-worthiness certificate has to be obtained every five years.

The source said the department could not keep the aircraft grounded for long because it would affect its condition and more funds would have to be pumped in for keeping it in shape.

Justifying the department’s idea to invest Rs 1.5 crore in a 35-year-old aircraft, the source said: “If the auto-pilot feature would not be replaced, the option left for the government would be to go for a standard exchange programme. If this is done, the old aircraft would have to be exchanged with a new one by paying the additional amount which would be the difference between the price of the new aircraft and the price offered for the old one. This will be very costly.”