Air India fined for pilot qualification breach

Aviation regulator also penalises senior officials for safety oversight

• Eastern Eye
• 23 August, 2024

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By: Eastern Eye

THE Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a ₹90 lakh (£81,745.29) fine on Air India, owned by the Tata Group, for operating a flight with pilots who lacked the necessary qualifications.

In addition, the aviation regulator has fined Air India’s Director of Operations, Pankul Mathur, ₹6 lakh (£5449.69) and the Director of Training, Manish Vasavada, ₹3 lakh (£2724.84) for their roles in the lapse.

According to a DGCA statement, the pilot involved in the incident has been issued a warning to ensure such lapses do not occur again.

The DGCA highlighted that Air India allowed a flight to be operated by a captain who was not a certified trainer, alongside a first officer who had not yet been officially cleared for line duties – an issue the regulator views as a severe safety lapse.

This action followed an investigation triggered by a voluntary report submitted by the airline on July 10.

The DGCA conducted a thorough examination of Air India’s operations, including a review of relevant documentation and an inspection of the scheduling process.

The investigation uncovered several regulatory violations that could have compromised flight safety, leading to the imposition of penalties.

“Based on investigation, it was prima facie revealed that there are deficiencies and multiple violations of the regulatory provisions by several post holders and staff, which could significantly affect safety,” the release said.

The DGCA also said the flight’s commander and the post holders of the airline were provided an opportunity to explain their position through show cause notices issued on July 22.

The reply submitted by the concerned persons failed to provide satisfactory justification. As such, DGCA has initiated enforcement action in terms of provisions of the extant rules/ regulations and imposed the above penalty, the watchdog noted. (PTI)