India's watchdog warns Air India for breaching pilots' flight duty timings

FILE PHOTO: An Air India Airbus A320-200 aircraft takes off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, July 7, 2017. Picture taken July 7, 2017/REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India's aviation watchdog has issued a warning to Air India for "repeated and serious violations" related to pilot duty scheduling and oversight, according to government directives reviewed by Reuters on Saturday.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directed Air India to remove three company executives from crew scheduling roles - a divisional vice president, a chief manager of crew scheduling and one planning executive - for lapses linked to flights from Bengaluru to London on May 16 and May 17 that exceeded the stipulated pilot flight time limit of 10 hours.
The June 20 order cited "systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversights" and criticised the lack of strict disciplinary measures against responsible officials.
The latest action by the aviation authority against the airline is unrelated to this month's crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 plane that killed all but one of the 242 people onboard but signal heightened scrutiny of the airline.
On Thursday, Reuters reported the authorities had also warned Air India for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue for checks on emergency equipment of escape slides.
The latest order by assistant director of operations at the DGCA, Himanshu Srivastava, said: "Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible."
In a statement to Reuters, Air India said it has implemented the DGCA order and in the interim, the company's chief operations officer will provide direct oversight to the Integrated Operations Control Centre.
"Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices," it added.
The DGCA stated in its order that Air India had voluntarily disclosed the violations.
Air India was taken over by the Tata Group in 2022 and faces many challenges in its attempts to rebuild its image, after years of criticism from travelers for poor service.
The Indian regulator, like many abroad, often fines airlines for compliance lapses. India's government in February told parliament that authorities had warned or fined airlines in 23 instances for safety violations last year.
Around half of them - 12 - involved Air India and Air India Express. The biggest fine was $127,000 on Air India for "insufficient oxygen on board" during some international flights.
(Reporting by Aditya Kalra; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Star

4 hours ago

• The Star

Bitcoin falls 4% to $99,237

FILE PHOTO: Representations of cryptocurrency bitcoin are seen in this illustration picture created in Paris, France, March 9, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Illustration/File Photo (Reuters) -Bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency by market value, was down by 4.13% at $99,237 at 10:52 a.m. ET (1452 GMT) on Sunday. Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency, was down by around 8.52% at $2,199. (Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

The Star

5 hours ago

• The Star

Indonesia's Prabowo says he wants more Russian involvement in his country's economy

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto speaks during a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 20, 2025. -- REUTERS/Anton Vaganov ST PETERSBURG (Reuters): Indonesia wants to see more Russian involvement in its economy, President Prabowo Subianto said on Friday, a day after signing a declaration with President Vladimir Putin on creating a strategic partnership. "We know Russian corporations and we would like to see Russia participate more in our economy," Prabowo said in a speech to the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. Indonesia is a non-aligned country that values the leadership of Russia and China, Prabowo said, adding that he believed many countries in the Global South would agree. He said Indonesia was moving ahead of target towards its goal of self-sufficiency in food, and would be a net exporter of rice and corn within a few years. Indonesia also expects to sign a free trade agreement with the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) this year in a move likely to boost demand for its commodity exports, its senior economic minister said. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said the agreement would open up new opportunities for commodities including crude palm oil, coffee and natural rubber. Both parties announced on Thursday they had completed substantive talks for the agreement.

Barnama

7 hours ago

• Barnama

Singapore PM Undertakes Introductory Visit To China, Attends Summer Davos

Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong speaks during a swearing-in ceremony of Singapore's new Cabinet ministers at the Istana, in Singapore, May 23, 2025. REUTERS/Edgar Su By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz SINGAPORE, June 22 (Bernama) -- Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will make a five-day official visit to China from Sunday at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang, according to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). PMO said Wong's introductory visit will see both sides commemorate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of Singapore-China diplomatic relations and reaffirm mutual commitment to strengthen bilateral ties. bootstrap slideshow 'It is also an opportunity for leaders on both sides to exchange views on bilateral issues as well as regional and international developments,' PMO said in a statement on Sunday. In Beijing, Wong, who is also the Finance Minister, will meet President Xi Jinping, Premier Li, and Chairman of the National People's Congress Zhao Leji. Wong will also travel to Tianjin to attend the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Annual Meeting of the New Champions (Summer Davos) and participate in a dialogue session with WEF President Børge Brende. The prime minister's delegation includes Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Sustainability and Environment Minister and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations Grace Fu, Acting Minister for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance Jeffrey Siow, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and for Home Affairs Sim Ann, and Member of Parliament Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi. -- BERNAMA