The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation regulator, has fined Air India Rs. 1.10 crore for safety violations. The airline was accused of violating safety regulations on some of the long-haul, terrain-critical routes, according to a voluntary safety report filed by an Air India employee. This prompted the aviation regulator to take action. The regulator said in a statement that the DGCA conducted an in-depth inquiry into the alleged violations following the receipt of a voluntary safety report from an airline worker alleging unsafe conduct of flights operated by M/s Air India on a particular long-range terrain-critical route.
A show cause note was sent to Air India Limited’s Accountable Manager since the investigation’s initial finding suggested the airline was not in compliance. The DGCA statement that the response to the Show Cause Notice was appropriate was reviewed in light of the performance limitations outlined in important documents provided by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and the laid-down requirements under the applicable statutes.
According to the statement, M/s Air India has been fined Rs 1.10 crore by the DGCA as a result of the leased aircraft’s operations not adhering to OEM performance limits and regulations. After some of the passengers on one of IndiGo’s flights emerged onto the tarmac and began eating, the airline was recently fined Rs 1.20 crore. Jyotiraditya Scindia, a union minister, responded angrily to the incident, calling it unacceptable. The DGCA had earlier this month served show-cause notices to SpiceJet and Air India for failing to send pilots qualified to fly in low-visibility situations after a number of flights were diverted at the Delhi airport on December 25–28 of last year, severely disrupting flight operations.
The aviation regulator’s DGCA fined Air India Rs 1.10 crore for operating Boeing 777 aircraft that were leased to the United States in violation of safety regulations. This is Air India’s second penalty in a week from the regulator. A former Air India pilot filed a complaint with the regulator, claiming that the airline was operating Boeing 777 aircraft to the US without the necessary emergency oxygen supply system in place. The pilot, who had been a B777 commander, lodged a grievance on October 29, 2023, regarding the airline’s policy of not having the necessary emergency oxygen supply on hand.
The complaint, according to sources at the time, was that Air India was using leased B777 aircraft on flights that had a chemically generated oxygen system that lasted for about 12 minutes. As a result, the aircraft shouldn’t have been used for the airline’s direct flights to and from San Francisco. The airline must account for the fact that, in the event of a depressurization emergency, all crew members and passengers must have access to enough oxygen for any duration exceeding twelve minutes.
