India’s aviation safety watchdog has criticised Air India for “repeated and serious violations” of pilot duty time regulations and has ordered the removal of three senior officials involved in crew scheduling.
In an order given on 20 June, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told the Tata Group-owned airline to immediately strip a divisional vice-president, a chief manager of crew scheduling, and a planning executive of all responsibilities related to rostering.
It also instructed the airline to begin disciplinary proceedings against them without delay.
The order raised concerns over “repeated and serious violations voluntarily disclosed by Air India concerning flight crew being scheduled and operated despite lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements”.
“Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible,” it said.
These breaches came to light during a post-transition review of the airline’s switch between two different software systems for managing its crew scheduling, according to the Press Trust of India.
India’s aviation safety watchdog has pulled up Air India for ‘repeated and serious violations’ of pilot duty time regulations (Reuters)
Two specific instances of non-compliance, on flights from Bengaluru to London on 16 May and 17, exceeded the 10-hour maximum flight duty limit for pilots, Reuters reported.
The airline has been instructed to move the three officials to non-operational roles until corrective reforms in scheduling practices are completed, and to ensure that they do not hold any position with direct influence over flight safety or crew compliance until further notice.
Air India confirmed in a statement that it had implemented the regulator’s order.
“In the interim, the company’s chief operations officer will provide direct oversight to the Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC). Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices,” the airline said.
Earlier this week, Reuters reported that regulators had warned Air India for flying three Airbus aircraft without conducting timely checks on emergency escape slide equipment.
The airline is facing heightened scrutiny following the 12 June crash of a London-bound flight shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad, killing 241 people on board at least 29 on the ground. Experts from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are investigating the crash with assistance from US and UK authorities, as well as officials from Boeing.
Over the last week, dozens of Air India flights were delayed, diverted, or cancelled amid heightened safety checks ordered by the DGCA.
As part of efforts to stabilise operations in the wake of the Ahmedabad crash, Air India on Thursday announced a temporary reduction in its international flight schedule. Between 21 June and 15 July, the airline will suspend flights to three overseas destinations and cut services on 16 international routes.
The move, according to the airline, is aimed at restoring schedule reliability and minimising last-minute disruption for passengers. This follows an earlier statement that wide-body flight operations would be reduced by 15 per cent over the same period.
Air India was taken over by Tata Sons in 2022, returning the airline to private hands nearly 70 years after it was nationalised. The $2.4bn deal to offload the debt-laden public carrier represented a full-circle moment for the airline, which began as Tata Air Services in 1932.
Since the acquisition, the airline has placed orders for hundreds of new aircraft worth over $70bn, unveiled new livery, absorbed Tata’s other airline ventures and committed millions to upgrading older planes and digital systems.
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