Air India fined Rs. 80 lakh by DGCA: Here's why
Air India has been slapped with a hefty fine of Rs. 80 lakh by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The penalty is a consequence of the airline's violation of Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) and the fatigue management system (FMS) for the flight crew. The decision was taken after Air India's response to an earlier show-cause notice was deemed "non satisfactory."
Multiple regulatory violations uncovered in DGCA audit
In January, the DGCA carried out a surprise audit of Air India Limited to check their adherence to FDTL and FMS regulations. The audit exposed several violations, including instances where flights were operated with both crew members aged over 60 years. This is in direct violation of Sub Rule (2) of Rule 28 A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937. Furthermore, the airline failed to provide sufficient rest to flight crew before and after ultra-long range flights.
Unsatisfactory response from Air India results in fine
After the audit results were revealed, a show-cause notice was issued to Air India on March 1. However, the airline's response did not meet DGCA's expectations. Consequently, a fine of Rs. 80 lakh was imposed. The DGCA continues to uphold high safety standards in civil aviation and has demonstrated its commitment through this penalty for regulatory non-compliance.
A history of regulatory lapses by Air India
This isn't the first time that Air India has faced penalties from the DGCA. In the past year alone, the airline has been fined ten times for various lapses, with total penalties reaching around Rs.4 crore. Previous fines include a Rs. 30 lakh penalty following an incident where an elderly passenger died, and a Rs. 1.10 crore fine over allegations of safety violations on certain long-range terrain critical routes.
