DGCA tells Air India to remove three employees for lapses in crew scheduling

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Saturday ordered Air India to remove three officials, including a senior executive part of the flight operations department, from all roles related to crew rostering, The Hindu reported, citing an order.
The action was initiated for 'systemic failures' and 'multiple violations concerning flight crew being scheduled and operated despite lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements', the newspaper quoted the order as stating.
The airline was also directed to initiate internal disciplinary proceedings against the three officials within 10 days.
An Air India spokesperson confirmed that the directives had been implemented, PTI reported.
The spokesperson stated that the company's chief operations officer will also directly oversee the Integrated Operations Control Centre, which is the airline's operational hub responsible for coordinating flight operations, crew rosters and ensuring compliance with safety and regulatory standards.
'Air India is committed to ensuring total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices,' said the spokesperson.
According to The Hindu, the alleged violations came to light during a review following the airline's switch to a new crew scheduling software, which was implemented in May last year.
#DGCA penalises #AirIndia scheduling and rostering key officials for "repeated and serious violations" and asks for them, including a Divisional VP, to be removed from their posts. Pilots and Crew have long complained about their flying rosters, lack of sufficient rest time &… pic.twitter.com/2A1wB6PX4r
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) June 21, 2025
Among those facing disciplinary action is Choorah Singh, the divisional vice president of the Integrated Operations Control Centre, which is the airline's operational hub responsible for coordinating flight operations, crew rosters and ensuring compliance with safety and regulatory standards.
The other two persons are Pinky Mittal, the chief manager in the Directorate of Operations, and Payal Arora, who is also involved in rostering, Hindustan Times reported.
The directive comes days after Air India's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, which was en route to London's Gatwick airport from Ahmedabad, crashed just 33 seconds after taking off on June 12. This is being viewed as the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade.
There were 242 people aboard the aircraft. One passenger survived with ' impact injuries '.
Thirty-four persons were also killed on the ground after the plane crashed into the hostel building of the BJ Medical College and Hospital in Ahmedabad, according to Air India.
On Wednesday, the airline said that it will reduce its international services that use widebody aircraft by 15% for the 'next few weeks' to ensure operational stability.

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