(Image source from: x.com/airindia)

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has fined Tata-owned Air India for operating flights with unqualified crew. Additionally, the aviation regulator has imposed fines of Rs 6,00,000 and Rs 3,00,000 on the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Training Officer of Air India for this lapse. The DGCA said pilots have been warned to be vigilant to avoid such incidents in future. Air India operated a flight operated by a line captain who was not an instructor and a first officer who was not on the line. This was considered by the regulator to be a serious scheduling incident with significant safety implications. This only came to light later. The airline filed a voluntary disclosure on July 10th. Aviation regulators investigated the airline's operations, including checking documents and conducting surprise inspections at scheduled facilities. “Based on the investigation, it was initially determined that there were numerous deficiencies and violations of government regulations by several officers and employees that could have serious implications for safety,” the statement said.

The aviation regulator also said the airline's captain and staff were given an opportunity to explain their position through a notice issued on July 22. According to the DGCA, the concerned parties' response to the issuance notice stated: "No satisfactory justification has been provided." Subsequently, the DGCA initiated enforcement action in accordance with the provisions of the prescribed rules, which resulted in the imposition of such penalty. For the violation, the DGCA imposed a fine of Rs 900,000 on Air India, Rs 600,000 on the airline's operations manager and Rs 300,000 on the airline's training officer. Air India was also fined in March this year for violations of Flight Time Restrictions (FDTL) and Flight Crew Fatigue Management System (FMS) regulations. The fine was about Rs 80 lakhs.