DELHI— India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), warned Air India Express (IX) in March 2025 over failure to promptly comply with a European airworthiness directive related to CFM engine components on an Airbus A320 aircraft (VT-ATD).
The incident, tied to Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), also involved forged maintenance records to falsely indicate compliance.
Air India Express (IX), a low-cost subsidiary of Air India (AI), later admitted to the lapse and stated it had implemented corrective and preventive actions, Reuters reported.
The issue preceded, but is separate from, the June 2025 crash of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad (AMD), currently under investigation.
Air India Express Engine Safety Order Ignored
The DGCA’s March memo detailed that Air India Express failed to complete a mandatory modification to the CFM LEAP-1A engine on its Airbus A320 within the deadline set by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
The directive, issued in 2023, aimed to prevent engine failure due to manufacturing defects in parts like seals and rotating components.
DGCA’s audit revealed the operator altered AMOS software records—used for maintenance tracking—to show false compliance. The aircraft in question, VT-ATD, primarily serves domestic routes and short-haul international destinations including Dubai (DXB) and Muscat (MCT).
The memo criticized the accountable manager for failing to ensure adequate quality control. In response, Air India Express removed the quality manager and suspended the deputy airworthiness manager. The airline blamed a record migration issue for missing the scheduled component replacement and said it acted quickly to resolve the oversight.
Pattern of Regulatory Warnings Against Air India Group
This engine maintenance lapse is not an isolated case. DGCA previously flagged Air India (AI) for flying three Airbus aircraft without timely escape slide inspections and, in June 2025, issued warnings for “serious violations” of pilot duty time regulations. These issues form part of a broader trend of regulatory pressure on the Tata Group-owned airline.
According to government data presented in Parliament, Indian regulators fined or warned airlines in 23 safety violation cases during 2024, three involving Air India Express and eight linked to Air India.
While the March incident was flagged before the fatal Dreamliner crash in June, it has intensified scrutiny on Air India Group’s internal safety governance, especially in maintenance operations.
EASA Warning on CFM Engine Risks
EASA’s 2023 airworthiness directive warned that failure to replace defective engine components could result in high-energy debris release, leading to aircraft damage and compromised control. These risks are particularly severe during overseas flights or operations near restricted airspace.
Industry experts, including former Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) legal advisor Vibhuti Singh, described the lapse as “a grave mistake,” stressing that such issues must be addressed immediately to avoid endangering lives.
Airbus and CFM International—jointly operated by GE and Safran—did not respond to inquiries regarding the case. DGCA and EASA also declined to comment on the incident, which first surfaced during an October 2024 regulatory audit.
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