The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation regulator, announced the suspension of Air India’s Chief of Flight Safety for a month, following the discovery of several lapses in the accident prevention work of the airline, now owned by the Tata Group.An internal audit by the DGCA uncovered deficiencies in the availability of necessary technical manpower as per the flight safety manual, amongst other relevant rules.
Regulatory Non-Compliance
The regulator noted that some checks, which Air India claimed to have been conducted, were not carried out as per regulatory requirements.
“We acknowledge and accept the DGCA’s findings and regret the failure of one of our audit staff to fully comply with the process and documentation requirements,” said an Air India spokesperson.
Commitment to Higher Safety Standards
The airline expressed its commitment to enhancing the culture of safety and diligence to contemporary standards through clarification of requirements, training, and stricter consequence management, vowing to continue these efforts until the necessary changes are effected.
This development follows Tata Group’s rebranding of Air India, which included a new logo, branding, and plane livery, as part of a multi-million-dollar transformation of the former state-run carrier.
The New Image of the “New” Air India
Since acquiring control in 2022, the conglomerate has invested millions to upgrade Air India’s fleet and ordered hundreds of new jets.
