India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a stiff penalty of INR 80 lakh on Air India for rule violations during flight operations. This action follows various disclosures from a January audit.
In January, the DGCA conducted a spot audit of Air India, revealing failures to provide the crew with mandatory rest before and after ultra-long-haul flights and during layovers.
Violation Poses Serious Risks
Audit findings included examples of duty times exceeding limits, improperly marked training records, and overlapping duties. Such violations pose severe risks to aircraft safety and passenger security.
Issues were also found in giving mandatory time off to operators, necessary rest to flight crew before and after ultra-long range (ULR) flights, and adequate rest during layovers, all breaches of civil aviation's current Flight and Duty Time Limitations (FDTL).
During the review of reports and evidence, it was discovered that Air India Limited had operated flights with two crew members over 60 years of age in tandem, a breach of the Aircraft Rules, 1937 under rule 28 A sub-rule 2.
Past Penalties on the Airline
Prior to this incident, the DGCA had imposed a INR 30 lakh fine on Air India along with a show-cause notice. It's worth noting that on February 12, an 80-year-old passenger passed away due to the airline's failure to provide a wheelchair.
