Air India warned for breaching pilots' flight duty timings
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 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 travellers 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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Dubai Eye
8 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Air India warned for breaching pilots' flight duty timings
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 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 travellers 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.
Al Etihad
8 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Investors brace for oil price spike, rush to havens after US bombs Iran nuclear sites
22 June 2025 05:46 NEW YORK (Reuters) A US attack on Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday could lead to a knee-jerk reaction in global markets when they reopen, sending oil prices higher and triggering a rush to safety, investors said, as they assessed how the latest escalation of tensions would ripple through the global attack, which was announced by President Donald Trump on social media site Truth Social, deepens US involvement in the Middle East conflict. That was the question going into the weekend, when investors were mulling a host of different market scenarios. In the immediate aftermath of the announcement, they expected the US involvement was likely to cause a selloff in equities and a possible bid for the dollar and other safe-haven assets when trading begins, but also said much uncertainty about the course of the conflict Trump called the attack "successful", few details were known. He was expected to address the nation later today."I think the markets are going to be initially alarmed, and I think oil will open higher," said Mark Spindel, chief investment officer at Potomac River however, said there was time to digest the news before markets open and said he was making arrangements to talk to other market participants. OIL PRICES, INFLATION A key concern for markets would center around the potential impact of the developments in the Middle East on oil prices and thus on inflation. A rise in inflation could dampen consumer confidence and lessen the chance of near-term interest rate global benchmark Brent crude futures have risen as much as 18% since June 10, hitting a near five-month high of $79.04 on Thursday, the S&P 500 has been little changed, following an initial drop when Israel launched its attacks on Iran on June average, the S&P 500 slipped 0.3% in the three weeks following the start of conflict, but was 2.3% higher on average two months following the conflict, according to data from Wedbush Securities and CapIQ Pro. DOLLAR WOES An escalation in the conflict could have mixed implications for the US dollar, which has tumbled this year amid worries over diminished US the event of US direct engagement in the Iran-Israel war, the dollar could initially benefit from a safety bid, analysts said. Stock Markets Continue full coverage
Gulf Today
15 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Afghanistan turns to Russia for some food supplies amid Iran-Israel war
Afghanistan is in discussions with Russia to import certain foodstuffs as the conflict between Israel and Iran, one of its largest trading partners, risked cutting off supplies, its agriculture minister told Reuters. As relations between Russia and the Taliban government have been improving, an Afghan delegation is visiting Russia's main economic conference in St. Petersburg this week, meeting Russian agriculture officials. "Afghanistan is definitely aiming for self-sufficiency in its agricultural products. However, we still rely on some food items that come from Iran, and if problems arise there, it will undoubtedly have its effects," Ataullah Omari said on the sidelines of the conference. Iran supplies Afghanistan with some dairy products, among other commodities, and there is widespread concern the week-old war between Israel and Iran could disrupt trade flows Russia - the world's largest wheat exporter - and Kazakhstan are the main suppliers of wheat and flour to Afghanistan. Russia is also supplying sugar and vegetable oil. Omari said that the country is now seeking wheat rather than flour from Russia. Afghanistan, the top buyer of Russian flour in 2024, increased its own wheat production by 10% last year to 4.83 million metric tons. The country's total wheat consumption is estimated at 6.8 million metric tons a year. "For the past four years, since the withdrawal of the Americans, we have been making efforts to provide our essential food supplies ourselves. The remaining amount, including flour and wheat, is supplied annually by Russia," Omari said. "We have requested that Russia send us wheat instead of flour. Additionally, the import of other products that come from Russia to our country annually is progressing well," he added. In April, Russia lifted its ban on the Taliban, which it had designated as a terrorist organisation for more than two decades, paving the way for Moscow to normalise ties with Afghanistan's leadership. Since 2022, Afghanistan has imported gas, oil, and wheat from Russia, marking the first major economic deal after the Taliban returned to power, facing international isolation following 20 years of war against US-led forces. Omari expressed concern about Afghan refugees living in Iran who could become victims of Israel's attacks. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that nearly 4.5 million Afghan nationals reside in Iran. "Any kind of damage that occurs there is absolutely unsatisfactory for our nation and our people, especially for many of our refugees who live there and are our brothers," he said. Reuters
