New Delhi: Air India has admitted that it operated an Airbus A320 aircraft for eight flights on November 24 and 25 without a valid airworthiness certificate.
The matter was first reported by The Economic Times, which had cited people familiar with the matter as stating that the 164-seater aircraft was flown without the certificate. The issue was discovered when an engineer identified it, and the plane was taken out of service.
In a statement to Mint, an Air India spokesperson said that an incident involving one of the aircraft operating without an airworthiness review certificate is regrettable.
“As soon as this came to our notice, it was duly reported to the DGCA, and all personnel associated with the decision have been placed under suspension, pending further review. We have initiated a comprehensive internal investigation and are fully cooperating with the regulator,” the spokesperson is quoted as saying.
Air India remains “unwavering in its commitment” to maintaining the highest standards of operational integrity and safety, and any deviation from mandated compliance protocols is treated with utmost seriousness and is unacceptable to the organisation, it was added..
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in a statement issued on Tuesday, acknowledged that it was notified about an Air India aircraft operating on an expired ARC for eight sectors. “An investigation is underway, and the aircraft has been grounded.”
“DGCA has instituted an investigation and instructed the operator to ground the aircraft. The ARC process is in progress. Concerned personnel have been de-rostered with immediate effect pending investigation. Air India, on the instructions of DGCA, is carrying out an internal investigation to identify deficiencies in their system and put corrective measures in place to prevent such failures from occurring in future,” the agency said in the statement.
The incident will likely be classified as a Level 1 violation by the DGCA, indicating a serious safety concern, marking the latest error affecting Air India’s flight operations, the ET report said.
The incident comes months after the Air India plane crash of 12 June in Ahmedabad that left 260 people dead.
An airworthiness certificate is issued by the DGCA, certifying that an aircraft is safe to operate. It must be renewed annually after the aircraft has passed all essential maintenance and safety inspections. Flying an aircraft without a valid certificate is illegal and poses serious safety risks, potentially leading to substantial penalties for the operator and responsible officials.
Earlier, the airline’s top officials, including chief executive officer Campbell Wilson, received show-cause notices for using multiple aircraft components that had exceeded their lifespan.
Some months ago, the regulator suspended the head of the airline’s engineering quality department, who is responsible for audits, ensuring the airline complies with all standards.
Following the latest incident, Air India may also face trouble with lessors, as operating with an expired licence can lead to the invalidation of insurance coverage, the report said.
