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Mint
6 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
DGCA orders Air India to sack 3 employees for violating rules on flight crew schedules
Mumbai: Air India has come under scrutiny from India's civil aviation regulator for violations it voluntarily disclosed concerning flight crew being scheduled and deployed despite lapses in licensing, rest and recency requirements, and for breaching Civil Aviation Requirement Section 7. CAR Section 7 outlines the requirements for personnel involved in flight operations, including pilots, instructors, and examiners. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation ((DGCA) ordered the airline to let go of three employees from all roles and responsibilities related to crew scheduling and rostering. It also sent Air India a show-cause notice, asking it to show why it should not face action under the Aircraft Rules and Civil Aviation Requirements for the violations mentioned. Mint has seen a copy of both the documents, which were confirmed by a DGCA official who did not want to be named. An Air India spokesperson said, 'We acknowledge the regulator's directive and have 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 regulator has directed the airline to remove Choorah Singh, divisional vice president, Pinky Mittal, chief manager - DOPS crew scheduling, Payal Arora, crew scheduling-planning, and asked for an internal disciplinary proceedings to be initiated against these officials without delay. It said the outcome must be reported to it within 10 days. The DGCA's show-cause notice relates a violation of Para 6.1.3 of Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section 7, in which the accountable manager of Air India operated two flights from Bangalore to London on 17 and 18 May, both of which exceeded the stipulated flight time of 10 hours. As per, Para 6.1.3 of CAR Section 7, a crew is limited to 10 hours of flying and 13 hours of duty if the flight crosses into night hours beyond their time zone. As per the show-cause notice, the accountable manager also failed to ensure adherence to the provisions and compliance requirements demanded under CAR. On 12 June, Air India flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London crashed seconds after take-off, resulting in the death of more than 240 people. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's probe into the cause of the accident is ongoing.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
DGCA seeks removal of top Air India officials, show causes CEO Wilson
Civil Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation has asked Air India to remove the head of its operations control centre and two other senior officials- for violations of pilot rest duty hours, according to a copy of the order reviewed by ET. DGCA 's action is not connected to last week's crash which killed 241 people on board and more than 30 on ground. DGCA also warned that repeat of such a violation may lead to suspension of the airline's license. The three officials named are Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice President; Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager - DOPS, Crew Scheduling; and Payal Arora, Crew Scheduling - Planning. According to the DGCA order dated June 20, they were involved in multiple lapses, including unauthorised and non-compliant crew pairings, violations of licensing and crew rest norms and systemic failures in oversight. This is the second time the same officials have been pulled by the regulator. In February, DGCA had asked Air India to take action the three after it was discovered that a first officer operated a flight without mandatory training requirement The regulator has also sent a show cause notice to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson due to the violation and has asked for an explanation within seven days. DGCA said that during an audit of the airline it was found that the airline had operated two flights on the Bengaluru-London route where the pilots exceeded the stipulated duty limit of 10 hours. During the audit, the regulator also found the three officials were involved in unauthorised rostering of crew, violation of mandatory licensing norms. "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," DGCA said in the order. 'The officials are also to be reassigned to non-operational roles and are barred from holding any position with direct influence on flight safety and crew compliance until further notice.' Air India in a statement said that Chief Operations Officer Basil Kawuk will provide direct oversight to the Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC). Kawuk, who was earlier with Singapore Airlines, joined Air India last year. 'Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices,' the airline said. It didn't respond to queries on show cause notice to CEO Wilson. Regulatory scrutiny of Air India's flight operations have increased following the crash. DGCA is also doing enhanced inspection of the Boeing 787 fleet of Air India. The checks are extensive including a one-time check" of the take-off parameters, to review the last 15 days of technical snags on these aircraft and resolve any recurring problems. Following this, the airline said that it will reduce flights to Europe and North America by 15% till mid-July to increase contingency aircraft to cater for cancellation as checks have been delaying flights the effect of which was compounded due to the closure of the Iran airspace forcing airlines longer diversion. Night curfew in European airports further delayed the return leg as pilots also ran out of their permitted duty hours.
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Business Standard
7 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
DGCA suspends 3 crew rostering heads, warns A-I of licence revocation
In its most serious action yet against Air India following the 12 June crash of flight AI171, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended three senior executives responsible for flight crew rostering and warned that the airline's licence to operate could be revoked if similar violations are detected in future audits or inspections. The regulator issued two documents — an order and a show cause notice — to the airline on Friday (20 June). The order sought the removal of key rostering officials after the DGCA found 'repeated and serious violations voluntarily disclosed by Air India concerning flight crew being scheduled and operated despite lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements'. Recency norms require that a pilot must have performed at least three take-offs and landings in the preceding 90 days to remain eligible to fly. The show cause notice was issued to Air India's Accountable Manager, who personally operated two international flights that exceeded the permitted flight duty time limit (FDTL) under existing regulations. FDTL are caps placed on how long a pilot or cabin crew member can be on active duty — including flying and pre/post-flight activities — in a single stretch. They are meant to prevent fatigue, which is a known contributor to human error in aviation. According to the first document issued (order), the violations by key crew rostering officials were discovered during a post-transition review after the airline shifted from the ARMS system to the CAE flight and crew management and rostering system. The DGCA said: '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,' it added. The three officials named in the order — Choorah Singh (Divisional Vice-President), Pinky Mittal (Chief Manager — DOPS, Crew Scheduling), and Payal Arora (Crew Scheduling — Planning) — were found to have been 'involved in serious and repeated lapses including but not limited to unauthorised and non-compliant crew pairings, violation of mandatory licensing and recency norms, systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversight'. The DGCA directed Air India to remove the three from 'all roles and responsibilities related to crew scheduling and rostering' and place them in non-operational roles pending reforms. The airline must also initiate internal disciplinary proceedings and report the outcome 'within 10 days from the date of issue of this letter'. The regulator further warned: '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, licence suspension, or withdrawal of operator permissions as applicable.' Responding to the DGCA's notices, an Air India spokesperson told Business Standard: 'We acknowledge the regulator's directive and have 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.' In the second document issued (show cause notice), the DGCA said that during a spot check it was observed that the Accountable Manager operated two flights from Bengaluru to London — on 16 and 17 May — both of which 'exceeded the stipulated flight time limit of 10 hours', in violation of a specific rule issued by DGCA in 2019. The 2019 rule limits a pilot's flight duty period on long-haul international sectors to 10 hours to ensure adequate alertness and prevent over-fatigue. Flying beyond this limit without special authorisation or crew augmentation is considered a safety violation. The DGCA notice also cited a second violation, which specified the duties of the Accountable Manager, who is personally responsible for maintaining operational control and ensuring that the airline's internal systems are in full compliance with civil aviation regulations. In essence, the regulator held the executive accountable not just for the flight time breach but also for allowing a lapse in command responsibility over regulatory adherence. The DGCA has asked the Accountable Manager to explain within seven days why action should not be taken against him under aviation rules for the violations listed in the notice. It added that if no response is received in time, the matter will be decided unilaterally based on the available evidence. The enforcement action comes amid heightened scrutiny of Air India's internal systems after the crash of AI171 in Ahmedabad. The aircraft had 230 passengers and 12 flight crew members on board. All but one passenger perished in the crash. Moreover, 34 people on the ground also died as a result of the crash.
Scroll.in
8 hours ago
- Business
- Scroll.in
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 &… — 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.
Arabian Post
8 hours ago
- Business
- Arabian Post
DGCA Mandates Removal of Three Air India Rostering Chiefs
DGCA has directed Air India to strip three senior officials of all responsibilities in crew scheduling and rostering, citing repeated and serious violations of licensing, rest periods, and flight‑duty time norms, according to its order dated 20 June. The order targets a divisional vice‑president and two crew‑scheduling managers, requiring disciplinary proceedings and immediate reassignment to non‑operational roles until reforms are enacted. Air India must report the outcomes of disciplinary measures within ten days, while the DGCA warns that further breaches could result in financial penalties, licence suspensions, or even revocation of operating permissions. The directive followed a post‑transition audit after the airline migrated from ARMS to the CAE flight‑and‑crew management platform, which uncovered unauthorised crew pairings and scheduling beyond permissible duty hours. Officials identified include Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice‑President; Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager, DOPS – Crew Scheduling; and Payal Arora, Planning – Crew Scheduling. The DGCA noted that these individuals were directly responsible for the failures in licensing compliance, rest‑period requirements and recency norms—a critical safety concern. ADVERTISEMENT Two long‑haul Bangalore–London flights on 16 and 17 May exceeded the 10‑hour flight‑duty time limit under a special dispensation, prompting a separate show‑cause notice to the airline's accountable manager. This regulatory action follows last week's Boeing 787 crash shortly after take‑off from Ahmedabad, which claimed 270 lives. Though the crew‑rostering order is not directly linked to the crash, it adds to the broader investigation and safety scrutiny surrounding Air India operations. The DGCA's move underscores systemic lapses in Air India's crew‑management framework. The regulator expressed 'serious and repeated' concerns, despite self‑disclosure by the airline, highlighting deficiencies in internal oversight and compliance controls. Air India has been instructed to implement corrective reforms to align with Civil Aviation Requirements, specifically those governing flight‑duty time‑limitations intended to mitigate fatigue. These revisions are timely: new pilot duty‑and‑rest hour regulations will take effect from 1 July, increasing minimum weekly rest from 36 to 48 hours and capping night‑operation landings at two. The DGCA's enforcement thus dovetails with wider efforts to bolster systemic safety in the aftermath of the Ahmedabad tragedy. Regulatory experts observe that such administrative and disciplinary responses are not anomalies. In May, the DGCA issued warnings regarding overdue maintenance checks on three Airbus aircraft, including emergency‑equipment inspections. Earlier in the year, Air India received fines totalling ₹30 lakh for pilot recency violations. Commenting on the broader safety landscape, former regulators note that consistent oversight is crucial in preventing fatigue‑related lapses and mechanical oversights. A sustained regulatory push is under way to restore confidence in Air India's operational reliability. Air India has yet to publicly respond to the DGCA directive. In previous instances, the airline has emphasised cooperation and accelerated internal reforms. As it enters the 10‑day deadline, the aviation community will closely monitor how the airline reshapes its rostering protocols and whether these measures signal a lasting shift in safety governance.
