Why did DGCA order Air India to remove 3 officials? Explained in 5 points

India's aviation safety watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered Air India to remove three officials from all roles and responsibilities linked to rostering and crew scheduling after finding serious lapses.

In an order dated June 20, the DGCA further asked the Tata Group-owned airline to initiate proceedings against these three officials without delay.

Air India issued a statement following the order, saying that it had implemented the order of the aviation watchdog.

“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,” Air India said.

Why did DGCA ask Air India to remove 3 officials?

1. The DGCA's order stated that it had found “repeated and serious violations” in the scheduling of its crew. “Repeated and serious violations voluntarily disclosed by Air India concerning flight crew being scheduled and operated despite lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements.”

2. The aviation watchdog further revealed that it found the violations during its post-transition review from ARMS to the CAE Flight and Crew Management System. Air India uses ARMS (Air Route Management System) software to execute a range of operational and management tasks like crew rostering, flight planning and more.

3. The DGCA in its order said the voluntary disclosures, “while noted, point to systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability”.

4. The regulator noted that its “particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible for these operational lapses.”

5. The DGCA flagged that the officials have performed “serious and repeated lapses including unauthorised and non-compliant crew pairings, violation of mandatory licensing and recency norms and systemic failures in scheduling. protocol and oversight.”

The aviation safety watchdog's latest order comes at a time when the carrier is facing heightened scrutiny in the aftermath of the June 12 Ahmedabad plane crash that killed 241 out of 242 on board and at least 29 residents of the building it crashed into.

Air India also received a warning from the DGCA, which threatened “strict actions” including licence suspension and operational restrictions if there are violations in crew scheduling in the future.

A London-bound Air India flight, AI-171 carrying 242 passengers and crew members crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. All but one on board the plane died along with nearly 29 on the ground when the aircraft smashed into a medical complex shortly after take-off.