100 lapses, including 7 critical, found at Air India base during audit: Report

India Today

7 days ago

India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has flagged nearly 100 safety violations and observations at Air India - including seven critical lapses - following a detailed audit of the airline's Gurugram base earlier this month, reports said Tuesday.The audit, conducted between July 1 and July 4, examined operations, flight scheduling, rostering, and other key functions. According to the DGCA's findings, the airline was found to be non-compliant in areas such as crew training, duty and rest period regulations, inadequate crew strength, and airfield qualification.advertisementSeven of the violations were classified as Level-1, which the DGCA defines as serious safety risks requiring immediate corrective action.
Air India confirmed it had received the audit report and said it would respond within the stipulated timeframe. "All airlines undergo regular audits to test and continuously strengthen processes. Air India's annual DGCA audit took place in July, during which it was fully transparent with auditors in the spirit of such continuous improvement," the airline said in a statement."We acknowledge receipt of the findings and will submit our response to the regulator within the stipulated time frame, along with the details of the corrective actions taken. Air India remains fully committed to ensuring the safety of its passengers and staff," it added.The audit findings come amid heightened scrutiny of the airline following the June 12 crash of its London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The aircraft lost thrust seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad and crashed into a medical college hostel, killing 241 of the 242 people onboard and 19 on the ground. It was the deadliest aviation disaster in India in over a decade.On June 21, the DGCA directed Air India to remove three officials from all crew scheduling and rostering duties due to serious violations. On July 23, it issued four show-cause notices over breaches related to cabin crew rest norms, training regulations, and operational protocols-following certain voluntary disclosures made earlier by the airline, reports added.A 15-page preliminary report released this month by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on the AI171 crash found that fuel supply to both engines was cut off within seconds of each other shortly after takeoff.The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking, "Why did you cut off?" to which the other responded that he had not done so. Both fuel switches had shifted from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' just seconds apart, the report noted.- EndsTune InMust Watch