DELHI- On Tuesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Air India (AI) for non-compliance with civil aviation requirements (CAR).
The aviation regulatory body stated that CAR Section 3, Series M part IV, titled “facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines in the event of denied boarding, flight cancellations, and flight delays,” was introduced in 2010 and has been updated periodically to ensure adequate protection for air travelers when facing flight disruptions, particularly denied boardings, flight cancellations, and delays.
Air India Fined by DGCA
The DGCA has stated that it has been conducting ongoing inspections of domestic airlines operating at various major airports since May 2023.
During these inspections, it was observed that Air India was not adhering to the relevant CAR provisions. Consequently, the DGCA issued a show-cause notice to Air India, requesting their response regarding the non-compliance with CAR provisions, as mentioned in the DGCA statement.
Notably, this is not the first instance in which the airline has been reprimanded for non-compliance with CAR regulations.
The DGCA highlighted that similar inspections were conducted at major airports last year, and due to Air India’s non-compliance with CAR provisions related to Denied Boarding of passengers, a penalty of Rs 10,00,000 was imposed on the airline for the violations.
Similar Fine
In May 2023, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is responsible for regulating civil aviation in India, imposed a penalty of Rs 30 lakh on Air India due to its failure to adequately address the “safety-sensitive issue” of a pilot allowing a female friend into the cockpit during a Delhi-Dubai flight on February 27.
Air India has been fined for the third time in less than four months by the DGCA for their shortcomings.
Initially, there was confusion about the flight number, and officials had reported that the incident happened on a Dubai-Delhi flight. However, it has now been clarified that the incident actually occurred on a Delhi-Dubai flight.
The aviation regulator, in a statement, imposed a penalty on Air India for its failure to take prompt corrective action related to the incident where a pilot allowed a female friend into the cockpit during a Delhi-Dubai flight.
However, Air India rejected the assertion. The pilot who operated the flight had his license suspended for three months. Further, the co-pilot received a warning for not being assertive in preventing the violation.
30 Lakh Fine
According to a statement from the DGCA, Air India has been instructed to take administrative action against the Staff On Duty (SOD) or passengers who entered the cockpit during the flight and prevent them from holding any managerial roles in the organization for a specific period.
The regulator has imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India for not addressing the safety issue related to the incident in a timely manner. However, the airline has denied the claim.
The pilot’s license has been suspended for three months. Subsequently, the co-pilot has been cautioned for not taking assertive action to prevent the violation.
The DGCA said that during the flight AI-915 from Delhi to Dubai on February 27, the pilot allowed an airline SOD passenger to enter the cockpit during the cruise, violating regulations.
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