Air India fined Rs 99 lakh for operating flight with unqualified pilots

Regulator says incident in July had 'significant safety ramifications'

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday imposed a fine of Rs 99 lakh on Air India and its two senior executives for operating a flight last month with unqualified pilots. The regulator said the incident had "significant safety ramifications".

The incident took place around July 10 when a trainee pilot and a non-trainer pilot, as a pair, operated a commercial flight of the airline, said DGCA. This was in violation of the safety regulations.

The DGCA imposed a penalty of Rs 90 lakh on Air India, Rs 6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, respectively, on Air India, its director of operations, and its director of training. The airline's director of training has also been suspended for six months from his position. "Furthermore, the pilot concerned has been warned to exercise caution to prevent such occurrences in future. Air India operated a flight commanded by a non-trainer line captain paired with a non-line-released first officer which has been viewed by the regulator as a serious scheduling incident having significant safety ramifications," it said.

The incident came to the DGCA’s notice through a voluntary report submitted by Air India on July 10. "Taking cognisance of this incident, the regulator undertook comprehensive investigations into Air India operations including examination of documentation and spot check of Air India's scheduling facility. Based on investigation, it was prima facie revealed that there are deficiencies and multiple violations to the regulatory provisions by several post holders and staff, which could significantly affect safety," the DGCA noted.

The pilot-in-command of the flight and the executives of the airline were issued show cause notices on July 22 regarding this incident. "The reply submitted by the concerned 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," said the regulator.

Multiple DGCA actions against Air India

Over the past few years, there have been multiple instances when the airline has drawn the ire of the regulator. In May, the DGCA stated that the Tata group-run Air India is “time and again” failing to take due care of its passengers, after passengers suffered from “insufficient” cabin cooling on two of its flights that were “inordinately delayed”.

In March, the DGCA imposed a fine of Rs 80 lakh on Air India for violating rules regarding flight duty time limitation (FDTL), aimed at ensuring pilots receive sufficient rest to prevent any incidents at work due to fatigue.

In February, Air India incurred a Rs 30 lakh fine from the DGCA after an elderly passenger suffered a fatal heart attack. The passenger had chosen to walk from the aircraft to the terminal due to the airline’s inability to provide a requested wheelchair, leading to the tragic incident minutes later.

In January, Air India was fined Rs 30 lakh for not rostering sufficient trained pilots to land on low visibility (CAT-III landings). CAT-III instrument landing system is used at major airports across India to allow pilots to land aircraft when visibility is as low as 50 metres. However, a pilot must be trained to use this system. In January, hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled across the country due to dense fog.

In June 2023, the DGCA suspended two Air India pilots — a captain for one year and a co-pilot for one month — for allowing an unauthorised person in the cockpit during the airline’s Chandigarh-Leh flight on June 3.

A similar incident occurred on the airline’s Delhi-Dubai flight on February 27, 2023, when its captain allowed a female friend in the cockpit. The DGCA suspended this captain for three months in April 2023 and warned the co-pilot for not being assertive enough to prevent this violation.

In January 2023, the civil aviation regulator fined Air India Rs 30 lakh for lapses in handling an incident where a man urinated on a woman co-passenger on a New York to Delhi flight.  In June 2022, it fined the airline Rs 10 lakh for not giving required compensation to passengers with valid tickets who were denied boarding.

THE FINE STORY

Jun 2022: DGCA fined Air India Rs 10 lakh for not giving required compensation to passengers with  tickets who were denied boarding
 

Jan 2023: A fine of Rs 30 lakh imposed for lapses in handling an incident where a man urinated on a woman co-passenger
 

Jan 2024: Rs 30 lakh fine for not rostering sufficient trained pilots to land on low visibility
 

Feb 2024:  Airline incurred a Rs 30 lakh fine after an elderly passenger suffered a heart attack
 

Mar 2024: DGCA slapped Rs 80 lakh fine for violating rules regarding flight duty time limitation