Undwr severe scrutiny after the tragic crash of London bound Air India’s AI 171 flight on June 12, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has now ordered immediate action against three senior officials of the carrier following “serious and repeated violations” related to flight crew scheduling and rostering.
The DGCA, India’s top regulator issued its order on June 20 to Air India mandated immediate internal disciplinary actions against the responsible officials, with outcomes to be reported within 10 days.
“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,” the DGCA order read.
It also directed that these officials be reassigned to non-operational roles until scheduling practices are reformed, and they are barred from positions directly affecting flight safety and crew compliance until further notice.
The three officials held directly accountable by the DGCA have been identified as — Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice President; Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager in the Directorate of Operations, Crew Scheduling; and Payal Arora, Crew Scheduling – Planning.
It also said: “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, license suspension, or withdrawal of operator permissions, as applicable.”
The airline voluntarily disclosed lapses showing that flight crew were scheduled and operated flights despite failing to meet mandatory licensing, rest, and recency requirements.
Meanwhile, responding to DGCA order, an Air India spokesperson said, “We acknowledge the regulator’s directive and have implemented the order.”
The spokesperson said that 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,” Air India spokesperson added.
The fresh order comes days after an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, London, crashed within minute after takeoff, killing 241 people on board, while several other on ground on June 12 in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad.
The DGCA, AAIB and MoCA had already announced a thorough probe to ascertain the cause of the probe.
