DGCA imposes ₹80 lakh fine on Air India for violating crew duty time
The decision came after the DGCA conducted a spot audit of Air India in January, during which evidence was collected and fleet-wise random reports were analysed
Civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed a fine of ₹80 lakh on Air India for violating norms related to flight duty time limitations and fatigue management system of flight crew.
The aviation regulator, in a statement issued on Friday, said that it imposed a fine for violation of regulations pertaining to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) and fatigue management system (FMS) of flight crew.
“As a proactive step towards ensuring a high level of safety in aviation, DGCA conducted a spot audit of Air India Limited in the month of January this year for verifying the regulatory compliance by the operator in respect of FDTL and FMS regulations”, the statement read.
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DGCA said that it collected the evidence during the audit, and even analysed fleet wise random reports.
“DGCA is committed to maintaining the highest levels of safety in the civil aviation sector in India and this enforcement action is in line with its commitment,” it said.
“The analysis of reports and evidence revealed that M/s Air India Limited operated flight(s) with both flight crew aged above 60 years flying together in a few instances, which is a violation of Sub Rule (2) of Rule 28 A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937,” it said.
The aviation watchdog said that Air India was also found deficient in providing adequate weekly rest, adequate rest before and after ultra-long range (ULR) flights and adequate rest on layover to flight crew, which violates the extant provisions of the Civil Aviation Requirements pertaining to FDTL.
The regulator stated that it also found instances of exceeding duty periods, wrongly marked training records, overlapping duties during the audit.
As a result, the DGCA issued a show cause notice to Air India Limited on March 1 for submitting response to the observed violations.
The airline’s response to the regulator was not found satisfactory after which Air India was fined.
