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Time of India
04-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Air India pilot collapses moments before operating Bengaluru-Delhi flight
Mumbai, An Air India pilot collapsed just prior to operating a flight from Bengaluru to Delhi, reported PTI quoting sources on Friday. The pilot was immediately taken to hospital and the airline had to arrange another pilot to fly the passengers to their destination. Air India confirmed that "there was a medical emergency involving one of our pilots in the early hours of July 4." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo "There was a medical emergency involving one of our pilots in the early hours of July 4. As a result, the pilot was unable to operate the flight AI2414 from Bengaluru to Delhi, that he was rostered for, and was taken to a local hospital immediately," Air India said in a statement. "He is currently stable but continues to be under the supervision of doctors at the same hospital," the airline said. Live Events Recently, India's civil aviation regulator has pulled up Air India for serious and repeated violations of crew safety norms, ordering the removal of three senior officials, head of crew rostering, from their positions in the airline's scheduling department. The aviation watchdog has asked the Tata Group-owned airline to initiate internal disciplinary proceedings against these officials without delay. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has identified Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice President, Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager - DOPS, Crew Scheduling, and Payal Arora, Crew Scheduling - Planning directly, responsible for the continued non-compliance. The action comes after Air India voluntarily disclosed that flight crew were being scheduled and operated in violation of licensing, flight duty time, and rest period regulations, key requirements for flight safety.
India.com
23-06-2025
- India.com
Who is Choorah Singh? the senior Air India officer blamed for Ahmedabad Air India plane crash, he is accused of..., DGCA says...
Choorah Singh, Air India Who is Choorah Singh? In a significant development during the investigation of the Air India crash that killed 280 people, the DGCA has issued an order and said that Air India repeatedly committed serious violations in its crew scheduling. Notably, an Air India flight, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, going from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, London, crashed minutes after takeoff on June 12, 2025. In its order issued to Air India asking to remove three senior officials responsible for 'serious and repeated lapses' in crew scheduling, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has categorically mentioned 'systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability' at the airline, as per a report by IANS news agency. Air India officers held responsible As per the agency report, DGCA has identified following personnel as directly responsible for the continued non-compliance: Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice President; Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager-DOPS, Crew Scheduling and Payal Arora, Crew Scheduling – Planning. The above mentioned Air India officials have been involved in serious and repeated lapses including but not limited to unauthorised and non-compliant crew pairings; violation of mandatory licensing and recency norms; and systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversight, the report said. Who is Choorah Singh? Choorah Singh works as the Divisional Vice President (Integrated Operations Control Center) of Air India. Working in this position from January 2024, Choorah Singh operates from Gurugram, India. With respect to aviation, Choorah Singh has more than two decades of working in the aviation sector. Accusations against Choorah Singh! According to the DGCA order, Choorah Singh and his Air India colleagues have been accused of unauthorised and non-compliant crew pairings; violation of mandatory licensing and recency norms; and systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversight. DGCA Order on Air India faults 'Repeated and serious violations voluntarily were disclosed by Air India concerning flight crew being scheduled and operated despite lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements. These violations were discovered during the post-transition review from ARMS to the CAE Flight and Crew Management System,' the DGCA order read. (With inputs from agencies)
Hindustan Times
22-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
DGCA threatens to suspend Air India license over 'repeated violations'
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has warned that it may suspend or withdraw Air India's license after ordering the airline to remove three staffers from crucial operational roles over 'repeated and serious violations' related to pilot duty scheduling and oversight. Earlier in the day, a Delhi-bound 787-8 Dreamliner was returned to its origin Hong Kong airport after a suspected technical issue.(X/@Aviationa2z) As reported by Hindustan Times earlier, DGCA ordered an immediate removal of Choorah Singh, divisional vice president of the Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC); Pinky Mittal, chief manager-DOPS, crew scheduling; and Payal Arora, crew scheduling-planning from all roles related to crew scheduling and rostering. The regulatory body cited 'systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability' for its swift action. In its June 20 enforcement order, the DGCA highlighted 'systemic errors', saying, 'Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible for these operational lapses. These officials have been involved in serious and repeated lapses.' The regulator issued stern warning that 'any future violation of crew scheduling norms, licensing, or flight time limitations detected in any post-audit or inspection, will attract strict enforcement action, including but not limited to penalties, license suspension, or withdrawal of operator permissions as applicable.' Air India has come under growing scrutiny after the June 12 crash of its London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and at least 30 on the ground. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is probing the crash. While the DGCA did not directly link its latest enforcement action to the crash, documents seen by HT suggest that the regulator is stepping up scrutiny of the airline. Air India responds Air India said it has complied with the DGCA directive and removed the three officials named in the order 'In the interim, the company's chief operations officer will provide direct oversight to the IOCC,' the airline said in a statement. 'Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices.'
Hindustan Times
22-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
DGCA takes Air India to task over ‘systemic errors'
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered Air India to remove three of its staffers from crucial operational duties and issued a stern warning for 'repeated and serious violations' related to pilot duty scheduling and oversight, with the regulator stating it could suspend the airline's licence in case of future breaches. DGCA takes Air India to task over 'systemic errors' The regulator cited what it said were 'systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability' — a strongly worded rebuke that poses questions about the airline's processes intrinsic to passenger safety. Air India faces intense scrutiny following the June 12 crash of its London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, which killed 241 of 242 people aboard and at least 30 more on the ground. Two more documents seen by HT suggest the regulator was in the midst of further ramping up scrutiny on the airline, including by initiating a compilation of all audits and checks carried out on Air India since 2024. The regulator and Air India did not respond to requests for a comment on whether the order dated June 20 was related to the crash in Ahmedabad this month. At least three experts HT spoke to welcomed the scrutiny and the reviews, but questioned if there was inadequate regulatory oversight before. 'Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible for these operational lapses,' the DGCA stated in its enforcement order. 'These officials have been involved in serious and repeated lapses.' The regulator warned that 'any future violation of crew scheduling norms, licensing, or flight time limitations detected in any post-audit or inspection, will attract strict enforcement action, including but not limited to penalties, license suspension, or withdrawal of operator permissions as applicable.' In a statement, Air India said it has implemented the DGCA order and 'in the interim, the company's chief operations officer will provide direct oversight to the IOCC.' 'Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices,' the airline stated. The regulator separately issued a show-cause notice to the airline, seen by HT, for breaching flight duty time limits of its crew on a London-Bengaluru flight on two occasions. Another document, an internal DGCA email seen by HT, suggested the regulator is putting together a compilation of all inspections and audits conducted on Air India during 2024 and 2025. The email, sent by assistant director Himanshu Srivastava — the same official who signed the enforcement order — requests 'details of all inspections and audits conducted for Air India during the years 2024 and 2025 (till date)' including findings, inspection types, and officer names, with a tight deadline of June 22. The June 20 order directed Air India to immediately remove Choorah Singh, divisional vice president of the Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC); Pinky Mittal, chief manager-DOPS, crew scheduling; and Payal Arora, crew scheduling-planning from all roles related to crew scheduling and rostering. The violations stem from incidents that the regulator said occurred during Air India's transition from one system for flight and crew management to another. Specifically, the violations occurred 'during the post-transition review from ARMS to the CAE Flight and Crew Management System,' with the regulator noting that the voluntary disclosures by Air India revealed the extent of compliance failures during this technological upgrade. An industry expert, who asked not to be named, said ARMS is a well-known software and is widely used. The DGCA specifically cited three categories of violations: 'unauthorised and non-compliant crew pairings,' 'violation of mandatory licensing and recency norms,' and 'systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversight.' An Air India official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the order is related to a case of non-compliant crew pairing that occurred in August last year, though the DGCA order suggests the issues are more widespread and ongoing. The 2024 incident involved 'a flight commanded by a non-trainer line captain paired with a non-line-released first officer,' which the DGCA described as 'a serious scheduling incident having significant safety ramifications.' The regulator subsequently imposed a ₹ 90 lakh fine on Air India and additional penalties of ₹ 6 lakh and ₹ 3 lakh on the airline's director operations and director training respectively. Safety expert Mohan Ranganathan, said the regulator's 'order and show cause notice seems to be an effort to just show that they are working actively.' Another expert, Mark Martin of Martin Consulting, asked: 'Why is the order for something that happened a year back, coming out now?' Crew scheduling and duty time limitations are fundamental safety measures in aviation, designed to prevent pilot fatigue and ensure only qualified personnel operate aircraft. The regulations require strict adherence to flight duty time limitations (FDTL) and mandate that crew pairings meet specific qualification and recency requirements. 'A crew rostering system is automated. You're not supposed to be partial to one crew over another. You're not supposed to intentionally put one crew member with another. The system needs to randomly roster cabin crew and pilots. All pilots should be given equal hours. All cabin crew should have enough,' Martin said. The 2024 incident, additionally, appears to have involved pilots who were not adequately qualified operating together. Flight 171, carrying 242 passengers and crew, departed Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:39 PM on June 12 bound for London when the pilot issued a Mayday distress call shortly after takeoff. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical hostel complex in the Meghaninagar area, killing all but one person aboard and at least 30 others on the ground. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is investigating the cause of the crash, while authorities have announced plans to survey structures around the airport for potential height violations that could pose safety risks.
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
DGCA Asks Air India to Act Against 3 Errant Officials
The civil aviation regulator has asked Air India to remove the head of its operations control centre and two other senior officials from operational roles and initiate disciplinary action against them, citing violation of pilot rest rules. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The civil aviation regulator has asked Air India to remove the head of its operations control centre and two other senior officials from operational roles and initiate disciplinary action against them, citing violation of pilot rest action is not connected to the June 12 crash of an Air India Boeing 787 aircraft in Ahmedabad that killed 241 of the 242 people on board and more than 30 on the its order on Friday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) warned the Tata Sons-controlled airline that a repeat of such violations could lead to the suspension of its has seen a copy of the order that names operations control centre head Choorah Singh and crew scheduling managers Pinky Mittal and Payal to the DGCA, these officials were involved in multiple lapses, including unauthorised and non-compliant crew pairings, violations of licensing and crew rest rules and systemic failures in is the second time the same officials have been pulled up by the regulator. The DGCA had in February asked Air India to take action against the three after it discovered that a first officer operated a flight without the compulsory training Friday, the regulator also sent a show cause notice to Air India chief executive Campbell Wilson citing the violation and seeking an explanation within seven DGCA said during an audit of the airline, it found that the carrier had operated two flights on the Bengaluru-London route where the pilots exceeded the stipulated duty limit of 10 hours.'Internal disciplinary proceedings must be initiated against these officials without delay, and the outcome of such proceedings shall be reported to this office within 10 days from the date of issue of this letter,' the DGCA said.'The officials are also to be reassigned to non-operational roles,' the regulator said. It barred them from holding any position with direct influence on flight safety and crew India, in a statement, said chief operations officer Basil Kawuk will provide direct oversight to the Integrated Operations Control Centre. Kawuk joined Air India last year from Singapore Airlines.'Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices,' the airline said. It didn't respond to queries on the show cause notice to Wilson. Regulatory scrutiny of Air India's flight operations has increased following the crash. The DGCA is doing enhanced inspections of the Boeing 787 fleet of Air India. The scrutiny is extensive and includes a one-time check of the take-off parameters, to review the last 15 days of technical snags on these aircraft and resolve any recurring airline has said it would reduce flights to Europe and North America by 15% till mid-July to increase contingency aircraft to cater for cancellation, as flights have been delayed due to the DGCA checks as well as the closure of the Iran airspace that is forcing airlines a longer curfew in European airports to reduce noise pollution has further delayed the return leg as pilots also ran out of their permitted duty hours.
