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Air India slammed for ‘repeated violations' and three officials sacked over ‘systemic failures' in wake of horror crash
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AIR India has been slammed for "repeated violations" with three officials sacked over "systemic failures" following the tragic crash.
Cracks within the airline have started to show after flight AI171 smashed into a doctors' hostel and exploded into a huge fireball last week.
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Crews search and clear the wreck
Credit: EPA
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The plane crashed in a fireball at a doctor's hostel
Credit: x/nchorAnandN
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Firefighters work at the site of the crash near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad
Credit: EPA
All passengers and crew - except for one miracle survivor - died in the horror accident on June 12 which killed at least 270 people.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) urged Air India to remove three company executives from crew scheduling roles, it has been revealed.
The three officials include a divisional vice president, a chief manager of crew scheduling and one planning executive.
Their sacking relates to 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.
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The order on Friday cited "systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversights" and criticised the lack of strict disciplinary measures against the officials.
Despite the latest action by the aviation authority against Air India being unrelated to this month's tragic crash, it has laid bare the significant issues with the airline.
On Thursday, it was also brought to light that authorities previously warned the airline 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."
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.
The airline added: "Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices."
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The DGCA stated in its order that Air India had voluntarily disclosed the violations.
Investigators are continuing their probe into what caused the airline's London-bound plane to plunge to the ground moments after takeoff in Ahmedabad.
Air India said on Thursday that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane was "well-maintained" and that the pilots were accomplished flyers.
The airline's chief N Chandrasekaran also hit back at 'speculation' on what caused the London-bound flight to crash a minute after take-off.
And it was revealed that the black box recovered from the flight could be sent to the US for analysis after being rescued from a blazing 1,000 degree inferno.
The Indian government has the final say on who probes the device, but reports say the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Washington, D.C. is being considered for the analysis.
A team of Indian investigators is expected to accompany the device to ensure all protocols are followed during the advanced data extraction.
Investigators warned on Tuesday that the recovered black boxes may have melted due to the intense heat of the raging explosion.
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The plane seconds before disaster with its landing gear still extended
Credit: x/nchorAnandN
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People stand near debris at the crash site
Credit: EPA
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The plane's tail can be seen sticking out of a building following the crash
Credit: AP
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Lone survivor of the Air India plane crash Vishwash Ramesh pictured at his family home in Diu, India
Credit: Dan Charity
Planes usually carry two black boxes, which are small but tough electronic flight data recorders.
One records flight data, such as altitude and speed, whilst the other monitors the cockpit sound.
The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR), were recovered 28 hours after the horror crash.
Despite the name, these devices are painted bright orange for visibility amid debris.
Investigators believe the CVR on this 2014-delivered aircraft likely stored only two hours of cockpit audio.
The jet predates a 2021 rule which enforced 25-hour recordings on all planes.
But the FDR is capable of logging thousands of flight parameters for over 25 hours, including altitude, airspeed, and control inputs.
The aircraft had climbed less than 600 feet before its ascent stalled, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
A distress signal was sent but was met with complete radio silence.
Moments later, the plane crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel complex near the airport's northeastern boundary.
The damaged black box is now seen as a crucial piece of evidence in understanding what led to India's worst air disaster in nearly three decades.
Investigators hope the data from the box will shed light on the aircraft's final moments.
52 Brits died on board the flight, but London local Vishwash Kumar Ramesh managed to cheat death when he escaped the blazing inferno following the crash.
Theories have swirled over how the sole survivor managed to narrowly escape death when he was sat in seat 11A during the horror smash.
