Air India operated flights violating pilot rest norms and training rules: DGCA

Civil Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation have issued at least four show cause notices to Air India over multiple violation of pilot rest rules, not fulfilling training requirements and deploying inadequate number of cabin crew on ultra-long haul flights, according to documents reviewed by ET.

While Air India voluntarily reported the violations to the DGCA, they were done two days before the regulator was supposed to inspect the airline’s records as part of its annual surveillance of the airline’s main base at Delhi.

In one of the cases, three Air India pilots operated beyond the mandated weekly duty hours. The regulator asked Air India’s head of operations Pankul Mathur to explain the lapse.


The regulator had earlier asked the airline to remove head of its operations control centre and two other senior officials after it found that the airline had operated two flights on the Bengaluru-London route where the pilots exceeded the stipulated duty limit of 10 hours.

In another case, two Air India pilots underwent simulator training but did not start flying within the prescribed time limit, a lapse that requires them to undergo training again. While in another case 17 pilots flew flights in and out of Kathmandu without a mandatory training.

To operate out of airports like Kathmandu which are situated in hilly areas pilots require extra training as there can be lack of navigation aids, inadequate en route weather information and sudden weather changes like turbulence due to strong winds blowing through the valleys.

“Despite repeated warnings and enforcement actions in the past, these violations demonstrated a continuing failure to implement effective training governance and compliance monitoring mechanisms. This constitutes a serious safety and regulatory concern,” an official of DGCA wrote in the show cause notice.

In another instance the airline operated flights to North America without adequate cabin crew. These flights were operated soon after the Pahelgam terror attack following which Pakistan had shut its airspace for Indian carriers increasing flight time for flights between India and North America.

DGCA had temporarily extend the maximum duty hours and rest period for pilots on long-haul routes to allow the airline to tackle Pakistan's airspace ban.

"We acknowledge receipt of these notices from the regulator related to certain voluntary disclosures that were made over the last one year by Air India. We will respond to the said notices within the stipulated period. We remain committed to the safety of our crew and passengers," an Air India spokesperson said.

The regulator has increased surveillance on Air India following last month’s crash of a Boeing 787 aircraft at Ahmedabad killing 270 people.

A preliminary assessment by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said that they are focusing on movement of fuel switches seconds after take-off leading to shut down of engines.