New Delhi : India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has flagged nearly 100 safety violations and observations at Air India – including seven critical lapses – following a detailed audit of the airline’s Gurugram base earlier this month.
The audit, conducted between July 1 and July 4, examined operations, flight scheduling, rostering, and other key functions. The airline was found to be non-compliant in areas such as crew training, duty and rest period regulations, inadequate crew strength, and airfield qualification. Air India confirmed it had received the audit report and said it would respond within the stipulated timeframe.
“We acknowledge receipt of the findings and will submit our response to the regulator within the stipulated time frame, along with the details of the corrective actions taken. Air India remains fully committed to ensuring the safety of its passengers and staff,” it added. The audit findings come amid heightened scrutiny of the airline following the June 12 crash of its London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
On June 21, the DGCA directed Air India to remove three officials from all crew scheduling and rostering duties due to serious violations. On July 23, it issued four show-cause notices over breaches related to cabin crew rest norms, training regulations, and operational protocols-following certain voluntary disclosures made earlier by the airline, reports added.
A 15-page preliminary report released this month by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on the AI171 crash found that fuel supply to both engines was cut off within seconds of each other shortly after takeoff. The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking, “Why did you cut off?” to which the other responded that he had not done so.
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