DGCA warns Air India for breaching pilots’ flight duty timings

Air India

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a warning to Air India after finding that two of its Bengaluru-London flights in May exceeded the 10-hour pilot flight time limit stipulated under the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR).

The aviation watchdog in the show-cause notice said that the airline's accountable manager failed to ensure compliance with these regulations and asked Air India to explain within seven days why action should not be taken against it.

An Air India spokesperson confirmed that the airline had received the DGCA communication. "Air India is in receipt of the DGCA letter with regard to rostering issues on two long-haul flights reported in mid-May that arose due to a different interpretation of a permission that was granted to mitigate the border-related airspace closure. This was corrected immediately after the right interpretation was conveyed to us. Air India remains fully compliant with the rules," PTI reported quoting an airline spokesperson.

In the past year, there have been a total of 93 audit findings with Air India (along with now merged Vistara) and Air India Express, as per recent DGCA data.

These findings included 19 level-1 violations, which are considered critical safety risks and require immediate corrective action by the air operator.

DGCA has come across 263 lapses, including those requiring immediate corrective actions, during 23 audits of eight domestic airlines carried out during the period, the safety regulator had said last month.

In its order, dated August 11, the DGCA said, "... Accountable Manager of M/s Air India Ltd. is hereby warned and advised to exercise utmost diligence and responsibility in ensuring strict compliance with the applicable Civil Aviation requirements."

The DGCA in June this year issued a show-cause notice to the airline for breaching the "flight duty time limitation" of the crew during two long-haul flights between Bengaluru and London on May 16 and 17.