Ahmedabad plane crash: DGCA asks Air India for details of inspections, audits since 2024, says report
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sought flight operations inspectors to provide details of all inspections and audits conducted for Air India since 2024, sources said on Saturday.
The details on the findings of the inspections and audits will have to be submitted by Sunday, they said, news agency PTI reported.
The DGCA has sought these details for 2024 and 2025 (to date), in an email communication which came a day after the aviation safety regulator issued a show-cause notice to the airline for flight duty time limitations (FDTL) violations, the report citing sources said. The DGCA had also ordered removal of the airline's three senior officials from their respective roles for certain lapses.
The data has been sought on planned and unplanned inspections, audit, cockpit/enroute, station facility, ramp and cabin inspection among others, as per the communication, the PTI report added.
The directives come after an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick carrying 242 passengers and crew members crashed shortly after takeoff on June 12, killing over 270 people onboard and on the ground.
The DGCA ordered Tata Group-owned Air India to remove three senior officials for lapses in crew scheduling and rostering and issued a show-cause notice to the airline for violating FDTL norms, sources said on Saturday.
In its order of June 20, the DGCA noted that the three officials, including a divisional vice-president, were involved in "serious and repeated lapses, including unauthorised and non-compliant crew pairings, violation of mandatory licensing and recency norms and systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversight".
The DGCA directed the airline to initiate proceedings against these three officials without delay, the PTI report said.
Air India in a statement said it has acknowledged the regulator's directive and implemented the order.
"In the interim, the company's chief operations officer will provide direct oversight to the Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC).
"Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices," the airline said in a statement.
ARMS (Air Route Management System) is the software platform used by the airline for various operational and management tasks, including crew rostering and flight planning, among others.
A total of 247 victims of the horrific June 12 Ahmedabad plane crash have been identified through DNA tests so far and 232 bodies have been handed over to their families, officials said on Saturday.
The authorities have asked the families of eight victims to submit the DNA samples of another relative as the previous ones failed to match, they said.
According to the report, police said the matching of DNA samples confirmed that Ahmedabad-based filmmaker Mahesh Jirawala, who was reported missing following the crash, died in the catastrophe. His mortal remains were handed over to his family.
Authorities are carrying out DNA tests to establish the identity of the victims as many bodies were charred beyond recognition as the aircraft burst into flames or damaged on impact.
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