Days After Crash, DGCA Orders Removal of Three Air India Officials Over Crew Rostering
India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has taken strong action against Air India over serious and repeated lapses in flight crew rostering. The DGCA has directed the Tata-owned airline to immediately remove three officials, including a Divisional Vice President, from all responsibilities related to crew scheduling and to initiate internal disciplinary proceedings against them.
The regulator warned that any future violations involving crew scheduling norms, licensing compliance, or Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) will attract severe enforcement measures, including penalties, license suspension, or withdrawal of operating permissions.
The move follows a post-transition audit after Air India migrated to a new crew management system last year. The review uncovered systemic deficiencies, including:
Non-compliant and unauthorized crew pairings
Breaches of licensing and recency requirements
Lack of adequate supervisory controls
Although Air India voluntarily reported these issues, the DGCA expressed concern over the airline's failure to take strict internal action. The three officials have now been reassigned to non-operational roles until substantial reforms are implemented.
In a related matter, the DGCA has also issued a show-cause notice to Air India regarding two Bengaluru–London flights (AI13 on May 16 and 17) that reportedly exceeded the 10-hour flight time limit, raising potential concerns over pilot duty time violations. The airline has been given seven days to respond.
These regulatory interventions come amid increased scrutiny of Air India following the June 12 crash of a Boeing 787-8 in Ahmedabad, though the DGCA clarified that the current actions are not directly linked to the incident.
Air India has stated that it is complying with the DGCA’s directives. The airline's Chief Operations Officer will now oversee the Integrated Operations Control Centre to ensure tighter adherence to crew management protocols. However, no official statement has yet been issued regarding the flight duty time notice.