Air India, the country’s flag carrier airline, is once again under scrutiny as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show cause notice to the airline. This notice comes in response to the airline’s alleged failure to adequately address the inconvenience faced by passengers during flight disruptions. Notably, this action follows a fine of ₹10 lakh imposed on the airline less than a year ago for breaching aviation regulations.
The DGCA has been actively conducting inspections of scheduled domestic airlines at major airports since May 2023, with a particular focus on ensuring compliance with passenger-centric Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs). During these inspections, it became evident that Air India was not fully adhering to the provisions outlined in the relevant CAR. Consequently, the DGCA has served Air India with a show cause notice, prompting the airline to provide an explanation regarding its non-compliance with CAR provisions.
This recent development unfolds shortly after both the civil aviation ministry and the DGCA launched an investigation in response to a complaint lodged against Air India by a former senior pilot.
As per sources mentioned in a recent PTI report, the pilot has raised concerns about Air India’s operation of Boeing 777 planes on routes to the United States without the essential emergency oxygen supply system. The former commander of the B777 fleet has alleged that the airline has been utilizing leased aircraft equipped with a chemically-generated oxygen system that provides only about 12 minutes of oxygen. This duration is considered inadequate, particularly for the airline’s direct flights to and from San Francisco.
In light of these developments, the aviation regulatory body has recommended modifications to the regulations governing crew duty schedules. These changes would involve allocating more time for pilots to rest between flights. This matter gained heightened attention in recent weeks following the tragic incident of an IndiGo pilot collapsing and subsequently passing away at the boarding gate of Nagpur airport.
