 "Air India")
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday said it has imposed a Rs 1.1 crore fine on Air India for violating safety rules on flights on certain long-range routes that were “critical” in terms of terrain.
In a complaint filed with the DGCA in October last year, a pilot accused the Tata Group-run airline of carrying insufficient emergency oxygen on its B777 aircraft operating on India-US routes.
The DGCA, after an investigation, found merit in the pilot's allegations and imposed the aforementioned penalty.
“We disagree with the order issued by the DGCA,” the Air India spokesperson stated. “The issues raised were thoroughly examined by Air India along with external experts concluding that there was no compromise on safety, whatsoever. We are studying the order in detail and will review the options available to us including our right to appeal as well as taking it up with the regulator," the spokesperson added.
In the rare occurrence of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, the availability of sufficient emergency oxygen allows passengers and crew to breathe safely at high altitudes where oxygen levels are insufficient for normal respiration.
This ensures that individuals on the aircraft can maintain consciousness and functionality, providing valuable time for the pilots to address the situation and descend to a safer altitude.
This is not the first instance that the Tata Group-run airline has faced the regulator's ire for not following its directions and rules. Earlier this month, Air India was asked to pay a Rs 30 lakh fine for not rostering sufficient pilots, who are trained to land on low visibility (CAT-III landings), during the fog season.
CAT-III instrument landing system is used at major airports across India to allow pilots to land their flights when visibility is as low as 50 metres.
However, a pilot must be trained to use this system. Earlier this month, hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled across the country due to dense fog.
The regulator on Wednesday stated that it started a "comprehensive" investigation after it received a "voluntary safety report" from an Air India employee wherein he or she alleged, "safety violations" on the airline's flights that are being operated on "long-range terrain critical routes".
"Since the investigation prima facie revealed non-compliance by the airline, a show cause notice was issued to the accountable manager of Air India Limited," it noted. The response to the show cause notice was duly examined concerning the laid down regulations of the DGCA and the performance limits stipulated by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
The OEM in this case was Boeing, the maker of the B777 aircraft.
“Since the said operations of the leased aircraft were not in line with regulatory/OEM performance limits, the DGCA has initiated enforcement action and imposed a penalty of Rs 1.10 crore on Air India,” it added.
The regulator did not specify what were the specific violations by the airline.
Air India has been under the regulatory glare during 2023.
In November last year, the DGCA imposed a Rs 10 lakh penalty on Air India for its failure to compensate passengers affected by delayed flights and unserviceable seats, and for not training its ground personnel by regulations.
In September 2023, the regulator suspended Air India’s approved training organisation (ATO) licence, effectively suspending operations for both its simulators: the Boeing simulator in Mumbai and the Airbus simulator in Hyderabad.
All pilots are required to undergo compulsory licence renewals every six months using a simulator. They must also complete annual certification courses, including instrument rating, ground training refresher, and aviation security, using a simulator.
The ATO license was suspended due to lapses identified during a spot check conducted by the regulator.
During the spot check, the regulator discovered that the simulator’s quality manual had expired, and there was no assigned quality control officer to oversee simulator operations. Additionally, standard operating procedures (SOPs) for preventive maintenance checks of the simulators were found to be lacking. After the conditions were rectified, the regulator reactivated the ATO license.
In June 2023, the DGCA suspended two Air India pilots—a captain for one year and 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 had taken place on the airline's Delhi-Dubai flight on February 27, 2023, when its captain had allowed a female friend in the plane's cockpit. The DGCA had in April 2023 suspended this captain for three months and warned the co-pilot as he was not assertive in preventing this violation.
In January 2023, the DGCA 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, the regulator fined Air India Rs 10 lakh for not giving required compensation to passengers with valid tickets who were denied boarding.
