Air India faces 51 safety lapses in DGCA audit, gets deadline for fixing
The lapses were mentioned in an 11-page confidential audit report prepared by the aviation watchdog this month, Reuters reported. Air India has yet to comment on the report.
However, the report is part of an annual audit and is not linked to the investigation into the deadly Boeing 787-8 crash last month.
The audit report from the DGCA said that seven "Level I" significant breaches needed to be fixed by July 30 and 44 other non-compliances classified needed to be resolved by August 23, the report said.
Also Read: DGCA issues 4 show cause notices to Air India for cabin crew rest, duty norms violations: Reports
The findings in the report come a month after Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, bound for London, crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 260 people. However, the annual audit was not linked to the investigation related to the deadly crash.
The DGCA officials said they found "recurrent training gaps" for some unspecified Boeing 787 and 777 pilots, who had not completed their monitoring duties, where they are made to observe the functioning of instruments in the cockpit before they can start flying.
The report also flagged operational and safety risks and said that Air India did not do "proper route assessments" for some Category C airports, which have difficult layouts or terrain. The airliner only conducted stimulator training for such airfields, which doesn't meet qualification standards, the report added.
"This may account to non-consideration of safety risks during approaches to challenging airports," Reuters quoted the DGCA audit report as saying.
The latest report comes a week after DGCA issued four show cause notices to Air India for multiple violations regarding cabin crew rest, duty norms, training rules and operational procedures.
The show cause notices were issued by the DGCA came after the airline's voluntary reporting of the violations on June 20 and 21.
The notices cited a total of 29 violations, including pilots not being given mandatory rest, poor compliance with training requirements and lack of training for a high-altitude airport, according to Reuters.
Reacting to the fresh report, Air India reportedly said it was "fully transparent" during the audit and that it will "submit its response to the regulator within the stipulated time frame, along with the details of the corrective actions".
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Mint
28 minutes ago
- Mint
Why India may not stop buying Russian oil amid US tariff threat: Explained
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First Post
3 hours ago
- First Post
Democracies snubbed, dictators courted: Inside Trump's embrace of Pakistan
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STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Bribery can never provide a solid base for bilateral ties like democracy and mutual interests do. Pakistan, like Turkey, will ultimately fall into the dustbin of past American partners no longer worth a future administration's time and energy. India must fight back but should not go scorched earth out of animus toward a man for whom the curtain of power is already closing. Michael Rubin is director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Firstpost.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
India to maintain Russian oil imports despite Trump threats
India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite US President Donald Trump's threats of penalties, two Indian government sources told Reuters on Saturday, not wishing to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. On top of a new 25 per cent tariff on India's exports to the US, Trump indicated in a Truth Social post last month that India would face additional penalties for purchases of Russian arms and oil. On Friday, Trump told reporters he had heard that India would no longer be buying oil from Russia. But the sources said there would be no immediate changes. "These are long-term oil contracts," one of the sources said. "It is not so simple to just stop buying overnight." Justifying India's oil purchases from Russia, a second source said India's imports of Russian grades had helped avoid a global surge in oil prices, which have remained subdued despite Western curbs on the Russian oil sector. Unlike Iranian and Venezuelan oil, Russian crude is not subject to direct sanctions, and India is buying it below the current price cap fixed by the European Union, the source said. The New York Times also quoted two unnamed senior Indian officials on Saturday as saying there had been no change in Indian government policy. Indian government authorities did not respond to Reuters' request for official comment on its oil purchasing intentions. However, during a regular press briefing on Friday, foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has a "steady and time-tested partnership" with Russia. "On our energy sourcing requirements ... we look at what is there available in the markets, what is there on offer, and also what is the prevailing global situation or circumstances," he said. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. India's top supplier Trump, who has made ending Russia's war in Ukraine a priority of his administration since returning to office this year, has expressed growing impatience with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks. He has threatened 100 per cent tariffs on US imports from countries that buy Russian oil unless Moscow reaches a major peace deal with Ukraine. Russia is the leading supplier to India, the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer, accounting for about 35 per cent of its overall supplies. India imported about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil from January to June this year, up 1 per cent from a year ago, according to data provided to Reuters by sources. But while the Indian government may not be deterred by Trump's threats, sources told Reuters this week that Indian state refiners stopped buying Russian oil after July discounts narrowed to their lowest since 2022 - when sanctions were first imposed on Moscow - due to lower Russian exports and steady demand. Indian Oil Corp, Hindustan Petroleum Corp , Bharat Petroleum Corp and Mangalore Refinery Petrochemical Ltd have not sought Russian crude in the past week or so, four sources told Reuters. Nayara Energy - a refinery majority-owned by Russian entities, including oil major Rosneft, and major buyer of Russian oil - was recently sanctioned by the EU. Nayara's chief executive resigned following the sanctions, and three vessels laden with oil products from Nayara Energy have yet to discharge their cargoes, hindered by the new EU sanctions, Reuters reported last week.
