New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken swift action against three senior Air India officials, demanding “strict disciplinary measures” following the revelation of “serious and repeated violations” in flight crew scheduling.
The violations, voluntarily disclosed by Air India itself, involved scheduling and operating flight crews who did not meet mandatory licensing, rest, and recency requirements. These lapses were flagged during a post-transition review from Air India’s old Aviation Resource Management System (ARMS) to a new CAE Flight and Crew Management System.
The DGCA order, issued on June 20th, strongly criticised the airline for systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability, specifically highlighting the lack of disciplinary action against those responsible for the violations.
“The voluntary disclosures, while noted, point to systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability. Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible for these operational lapses,” the order dated June 20 stated.
Three officials identified as directly accountable and face immediate consequences are Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice President, Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager in the Directorate of Operations, Crew Scheduling, and Payal Arora, Crew Scheduling, Planning.
The DGCA’s action comes just days after a tragic Air India flight crash from Ahmedabad to London, resulting in the loss of 241 passengers out of 242. Although not explicitly linked to the crew scheduling violations, the action is seen as a heightened concern for Air India’s operational safety and compliance.
The order mandates the immediate removal of the three officials from all crew scheduling and rostering responsibilities. Air India is required to initiate internal disciplinary proceedings against these individuals, with the outcome to be reported to the DGCA within 10 days.
“Internal disciplinary proceedings must be initiated against these officials without delay, and the outcome of such proceedings shall be reported to this office within 10 days from the date of issue of this letter,” the order reads.
Pending the completion of corrective reforms within Air India’s scheduling practices, the implicated officials will be reassigned to non-operational roles, effectively barring them from any position with direct influence over flight safety and crew compliance.
The DGCA has made it clear that any future violations of crew scheduling norms or flight time limitations will be met with stringent enforcement action. This includes a range of penalties, potentially including license suspensions or the withdrawal of operating permissions.
“Any future violation of crew scheduling norms, licensing, or flight time limitations detected in any post-audit or inspection will attract strict enforcement action, including but not limited to penalties, license suspension, or withdrawal of operator permissions, as applicable,” the order concluded.
