DGCA slaps Rs 90 lakh fine on Air India for flying with unqualified crew

The Director of Operations at Air India and the Director of Training of the airline also face Rs 6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh fines, respectively

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday levied a penalty of Rs 90 lakh on Air India Ltd for operating a flight with non-qualified crew members. In addition to this, penalties of Rs 6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh were imposed on the director of operations and the director of training at Air India, respectively.

The incident, which involved a non-trainer line captain being paired with a non-line-released first officer, was flagged by the airline in a voluntary report submitted to the DGCA on July 10, 2024.

The regulator viewed the incident as a serious scheduling error with significant safety implications.

Safety violation at Air India

Following the report, the DGCA conducted a comprehensive investigation into Air India’s operations, which included examining documentation and conducting a spot check of the airline’s scheduling facility. The investigation revealed multiple regulatory violations and deficiencies, potentially compromising safety.

In response to show-cause notices issued on July 22, 2024, the involved flight commander and DGCA-approved post holders at Air India provided explanations that were deemed unsatisfactory by the regulator. Consequently, the DGCA imposed the aforementioned penalties and warned the concerned pilot to exercise greater caution in the future.

DGCA fines on Air India

This incident is the latest in a series of regulatory actions taken against the Tata group-owned airline. Earlier this year, the DGCA issued a show-cause notice to Air India after passengers on two separate flights suffered from insufficient cabin cooling during significant delays. The regulator stated that the airlines was failing "time and again" at taking care of its passengers.

In March, the airline faced a Rs 80 lakh fine for violations related to flight duty time limitations. Earlier in February, Air India incurred a Rs 30 lakh fine for poor handling of a passenger who later died of a heart attack. In January, the airline was fined Rs 30 for not having an adequate number of pilots on duty for low-visibility landings.