DGCA Fines Air India Rs 1.1 Crore For Safety Violations

New Delhi: Following a safety report from an employee of the airline alleging certain violations on some routes, the Indian civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation has imposed a penalty of Rs 1.1 crore on Air India for safety violations on certain flights.

“Pursuant to the receipt of a voluntary safety report from an airline employee alleging safety violations of flights operated by M/s Air India on certain long-range terrain critical routes, DGCA conducted a comprehensive investigation into the alleged violations,” the regulator said.

The prima facie investigation by the regulator into the complaint against the Tata Group-backed Air India showed non-compliance and the regulator then issued a show cause notice to the accountable manager of the airline.  “The response to the show cause notice was duly examined with respect to the laid down stipulations under the relevant statutory provisions and the performance limits stipulated in critical documentations laid down by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM),” the DGCA added.

Since the said operations of the leased aircraft were not in line with regulatory norms as well as the performance limits suggested by the aircraft manufacturer, DGCA has initiated enforcement action and imposed a penalty of Rs 1.10 crore on Air India, the regulator added.

Notably, last week, the aviation regulator imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India for lapses in the rostering of pilots for operating flights in low visibility conditions. After analysing the flight delay/cancellation/diversion-related data submitted by scheduled airlines for December 2023, DGCA concluded that Air India did not roster CAT II/III and low visibility take-off qualified pilots for some of the flights.