Why is DGCA Criticizing Air India for Lack of Disciplinary Actions?

New Delhi, June 21 (NationPress) The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a directive to Air India mandating the removal of three senior officials due to their involvement in serious and repeated lapses in crew scheduling. The order highlights significant systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability at the airline.

The DGCA has pinpointed the following individuals as responsible for ongoing non-compliance: Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice President; Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager-DOPS, Crew Scheduling; and Payal Arora, Crew Scheduling – Planning.

These officials have been linked to numerous serious violations, including unauthorized and non-compliant crew pairings, breaches of mandatory licensing and recency norms, and overall failures in scheduling protocols and oversight.

The DGCA order states, "Repeated and serious violations were voluntarily disclosed by Air India regarding flight crews being scheduled despite lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements. These issues were identified during the post-transition review from ARMS to the CAE Flight and Crew Management System."

While the voluntary disclosures have been acknowledged, they underscore the systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability.

"A key concern is the lack of strict disciplinary measures against key officials accountable for these operational issues," the order further noted.

Air India has been instructed to promptly remove the aforementioned officials from all roles related to crew scheduling and rostering. Additionally, internal disciplinary proceedings must commence immediately, with outcomes to be reported to the DGCA within 10 days of the order's issuance.

The order also stipulates that the mentioned officials will be reassigned to non-operational positions pending the completion of necessary reforms in scheduling practices and will not hold any role that could directly influence flight safety or crew compliance until further notice.

The DGCA cautioned that any future violations of crew scheduling norms, licensing, or flight time limitations detected during audits or inspections will lead to stringent enforcement actions, including penalties, license suspensions, or revocation of operator permissions as deemed appropriate.

As Air India grapples with the aftermath of the AI 171 Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash, which tragically resulted in the loss of at least 270 lives, including 241 passengers and crew, the airline faces mounting pressure. The Aviation Industry Employees’ Guild (AIEG) has called for a CBI investigation into the dismissal of two cabin crew members for reporting a technical issue with the aircraft last year.