India’s aviation scene is facing intense scrutiny as Air India finds itself in hot water with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over serious safety violations. This follows a tragic crash that occurred in Ahmedabad, involving a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which killed numerous passengers and individuals on the ground.
Air India Under Investigation for Safety Breaches
According to government documents reviewed by Reuters, Air India faced warnings after inspections uncovered that three of its Airbus planes were operated without essential safety checks on emergency equipment, particularly escape slides. The situation was exacerbated by the airline’s slow response to address these deficiencies.
- One Airbus A320 had an inspection delayed by over a month.
- Another A319 was found to have checks overdue by more than three months.
- The DGCA’s report indicates violations of standard airworthiness and safety requirements.
The DGCA specified that aircraft missing mandatory checks would have their airworthiness certificates suspended, essentially grounding them until compliance was achieved.
Accountability Measures Implemented
In a further crackdown, the DGCA has ordered Air India to remove three key officials responsible for crew scheduling and compliance monitoring due to their