New Delhi — In a strongly worded order, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed Air India to immediately remove three senior officials from crew scheduling roles, citing “serious and repeated lapses” and a broader pattern of systemic failures within the airline’s compliance framework.
The DGCA named the following personnel as directly responsible for persistent violations:
Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice President
Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager – DOPS, Crew Scheduling
Payal Arora, Crew Scheduling – Planning
According to the aviation regulator, these officials were involved in multiple breaches, including unauthorized and non-compliant crew pairings, violations of mandatory licensing and recency norms, and a breakdown of standard scheduling protocols and oversight mechanisms.
“Repeated and serious violations voluntarily disclosed by Air India concerned flight crew being scheduled and operated despite lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements,” the DGCA noted in its report.
“These violations were uncovered during a post-transition review from ARMS to the CAE Flight and Crew Management System.”
While the DGCA acknowledged Air India’s voluntary disclosures, it emphasized that they reflected deeper systemic issues, particularly in compliance monitoring and internal accountability.
“Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible for these operational lapses,” the order added.
As a result, the DGCA has instructed Air India to:
Immediately remove the identified officials from all roles related to crew scheduling and rostering.
Reassign them to non-operational duties pending corrective reforms.
Ensure these individuals do not hold any position influencing flight safety or crew compliance until further notice.
Initiate internal disciplinary proceedings without delay and report the outcomes to the DGCA within 10 days.
The regulator also issued a stern warning: any future violations of crew scheduling norms, licensing, or flight time limitations found during audits or inspections will invite strict enforcement actions—including penalties, license suspensions, or the withdrawal of operating permissions.
The action comes as Air India faces mounting scrutiny, particularly in the wake of the devastating AI 171 Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash, which claimed the lives of at least 270 people, including 241 passengers and crew.
Adding to the turbulence, the Aviation Industry Employees’ Guild (AIEG) has demanded a CBI probe into the airline’s recent sacking of two cabin crew members. The dismissed employees had reportedly flagged a technical fault in the aircraft last year—a development now under intense public and regulatory scrutiny. (Source: IANS)
