DGCA fines Air India Rs 90 lakh for operating flight with unqualified pilots

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a Rs 90 lakh fine on Air India after it was discovered that the airline operated a flight with pilots who lacked proper qualifications.

Additionally, the DGCA has penalised Air India’s Director of Operations, Pankul Mathur, with a fine of Rs 6 lakh, and Director of Training, Manish Vasavada, with a fine of Rs 3 lakh for their lapses in oversight.

The issue came to light on 10 July when Air India voluntarily submitted a report, prompting an investigation by the DGCA. The inquiry revealed that a non-trainer line captain was paired with a first officer who had not been officially released for line operations—a significant breach of safety regulations. The DGCA identified this as a major scheduling error on the part of the airline.

Following these findings, the DGCA issued show-cause notices on 22 July to the individuals involved, including the flight’s commander. However, the regulatory body deemed the responses provided unsatisfactory.

Based on the investigation, it was prima facie revealed that several post holders and staff were deficient in and multiplely violated the regulatory provisions, which could significantly affect safety.

The concerned flight commander and DGCA-approved Post Holders of Air India Limited were provided an opportunity to explain their position vide show cause notices (SCNs) dated 22 July 2024.

The reply submitted by the concerned failed to provide a satisfactory justification. As such, DGCA has initiated enforcement action in terms of provisions of the extant rules, and regulations and imposed the above penalty.

In addition to the fines, the DGCA has issued warnings to the pilots involved and required measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. The officials' fines were levied according to the existing regulations.

This incident reminds us of the critical need for strict adherence to safety protocols in the aviation industry. The DGCA acted swiftly to ensure accountability and compliance.

Over recent years, Air India has faced several penalties from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) due to various regulatory breaches.

• In May, the DGCA criticized Air India for repeatedly failing to ensure passenger comfort, citing incidents of inadequate cabin cooling and significant delays on two flights. This followed a series of other regulatory issues:

• In March, the airline was fined Rs 80 lakh for breaching pilot rest period regulations. An audit conducted in January revealed non-compliance with Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) rules, leading to this substantial penalty.

• Earlier, in February, Air India incurred a Rs 30 lakh fine after an elderly passenger suffered a fatal heart attack. The passenger, unable to secure a requested wheelchair, had walked from the aircraft to the terminal, resulting in the tragic incident.

• In January, the airline was also fined Rs 30 lakh for failing to roster enough trained pilots for low-visibility landings using the CAT-III instrument landing system. This shortfall contributed to widespread flight delays and cancellations due to dense fog.

• In June 2023, the DGCA suspended two Air India pilots—one for a year and the other for a month—for allowing unauthorized persons in the cockpit during a Chandigarh-Leh flight on June 3. A similar violation occurred on a Delhi-Dubai flight on February 27, 2023, leading to a three-month suspension for the captain and a warning for the co-pilot.

• Earlier incidents include a Rs 30 lakh fine in January 2023 for mishandling a situation where a passenger urinated on a fellow traveler on a New York to Delhi flight. Additionally, in June 2022, the airline was fined Rs 10 lakh for failing to compensate passengers with valid tickets who were denied boarding.