DELHI- The Directorate General of Civil Aviationn (DGCA) has imposed a substantial fine of Rs 30 lakh on Tata Group-owned Air India (AI) after discovering a pilot (first officer) operated a flight without meeting mandatory safety requirements.
The regulatory body’s January 29, 2025 order criticized Air India’s inadequate rostering system that enabled this serious safety breach, TOI reported.
Photo: Air IndiaAir India Fined by DGCA
The investigation revealed that a first officer conducted a flight on July 7 without completing the required three takeoffs and landings needed to maintain operational currency.
Air India’s internal communication from July 12, 2024, acknowledged that rostering controllers had disregarded multiple system alerts warning of this compliance issue.
The aviation regulator has mandated Air India to take disciplinary action against three senior rostering department officials. The airline must report these actions to the DGCA within 15 days. This directive follows Air India’s unsatisfactory response to a show cause notice issued to its heads of operations and rostering on December 13.
The regulatory body’s enforcement action demonstrates its commitment to maintaining strict safety standards in Indian aviation.
Air India must remit the penalty payment within thirty days of the order’s issuance, marking one of the significant fines imposed on the carrier for operational safety violations.
Photo: avgeekwithlens/ Harsh TekriwalSimilar Penalty
In August 2024, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation imposed a substantial penalty of 90 lakh INR on Air India for operating a Mumbai-Riyadh flight with an unqualified crew on July 9. Air India’s voluntary disclosure revealed the assignment of an unauthorized junior pilot alongside a non-trainer captain.
The aviation regulator classified this as a “serious scheduling incident” threatening flight safety. The DGCA extended penalties to Air India’s senior leadership, with the Director of Operations receiving a 6 lakh INR fine and the Director of Flight Safety incurring a 3 lakh INR penalty. The regulator suspended Air India’s Director of Training, Manish Vasavada, for six months.
This penalty follows multiple regulatory actions against Air India throughout 2024. The DGCA reprimanded the airline in May for persistent passenger comfort issues, including insufficient cabin cooling and flight delays. March witnessed an 80 lakh INR fine for violating pilot rest regulations after a January audit exposed non-compliance with Flight Duty Time Limit protocols.
The airline faced a 30 lakh INR penalty in February 2024 following an elderly passenger’s death from cardiac arrest, attributed to wheelchair service denial. Another 30 lakh INR fine materialized in January due to insufficient pilot training for low-visibility operations, causing widespread fog-related flight disruptions.
The DGCA’s disciplinary actions extend to 2023, when two Air India pilots received suspensions for permitting unauthorized cockpit access during a Chandigarh-Leh flight in June. A comparable violation on a Delhi-Dubai route in February 2023 resulted in additional pilot suspensions.
Previous penalties include a 30 lakh INR fine in January 2023 for mismanaging a passenger misconduct incident, and a 10 lakh INR penalty in June 2022 for failing to compensate passengers denied boarding.
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