Air India faces DGCA action over crew safety violations; Suspends airline's head of crew rostering

India’s civil aviation regulator has pulled up Air India for serious and repeated violations of crew safety norms, ordering the removal of three senior officials, head of crew rostering, from their positions in the airline’s scheduling department.

The aviation watchdog has asked the Tata Group-owned airline to initiate internal disciplinary proceedings against these officials without delay. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA) has identified Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice President, Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager - DOPS, Crew Scheduling, and Payal Arora, Crew Scheduling - Planning directly, responsible for the continued non-compliance.

The action comes after Air India voluntarily disclosed that flight crew were being scheduled and operated in violation of licensing, flight duty time, and rest period regulations, key requirements for flight safety.

DGCA, in a letter issued on June 20, said the violations were uncovered during a post-transition audit following the airline’s shift from the ARMS platform to the CAE Flight and Crew Management System.

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Two long-haul Bangalore to London flight saw pilots operating beyond their legally permissible flight duty hours, breaching the prescribed safety limits. DGCA issued a show cause notice to the Accountable Manager of Air India, stating that during a spot check, it was observed that two flights were operated from Bangalore to London (Al133) on 16 May 2025 and 17 May 2025, both of which exceeded the stipulated flight time limit of 10 hours.

Furthermore, as for the head of crew roastering, the civil aviation watchdog has ordered that the outcome of these proceedings against the airline's officials must be reported to it within 10 days from the issuance of the order. Until corrective reforms are fully implemented, the officials are to be reassigned to non-operational roles and barred from holding any position that could influence flight safety or crew compliance, it said.

The DGCA also warned Air India that any future violation related to crew scheduling, licensing, or flight time limitations, whether discovered in audits or routine inspections, will attract strict enforcement action. This could include penalties, suspension of licenses, or even withdrawal of Air India’s operator permissions, if applicable.

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Meanwhile, Air India has said that it has implemented the DGCA order. "We acknowledge the regulator’s directive and have implemented the order. 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."

This also comes as investigation unfolds in the June 12 Air India plane crash, that claimed over 270 lives in Ahmedabad.

Ahead of implementation of new pilot duty norms
Earlier in February, the Delhi High Court directed the DGCA to strictly adhere to its committed timeline for implementing revised norms on duty and rest hours for pilots, which are set to begin in phases starting July 1, 2025.

The revised Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR 2024) includes an increase in minimum weekly rest from 36 to 48 hours and limits night operations to a maximum of two landings.

The changes aim to tackle rising concerns over pilot fatigue and ensure airlines enforce safer duty schedules. The regulator’s phased implementation plan, outlined in an affidavit submitted in February, was finalised after consultation with pilot associations, airline operators, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation.