Latest news with #PankulMathur
The Star
3 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Air India warned about breaches of safety rules
AIR India has been warned by India's aviation regulator that it could face enforcement action for breaching safety standards related to crew fatigue management and training, government notices to the airline seen by Reuters showed. The airline self-reported the problems, which occurred this year and last year, to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last month, just days after one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners crashed in Ahmedabad city, killing 260 people. Four government notices, dated July 23, criticised Air India for repeated failures in safety compliance and follow many other warnings in the past. Potential regulatory action could include fines or ordering that executives be removed from their jobs. They cite a combined 29 violations, including pilots not being given mandatory rest, poor compliance with simulator training requirements, lack of training for a high-altitude airport and flying on international routes with insufficient cabin crew. 'Despite repeated warning and enforcement action of non-compliance in the past, systemic issues related to compliance monitoring, crew planning, and training governance remain unresolved,' said one of the notices. 'The recurrence of such violations suggests a failure to establish and enforce effective control mechanisms,' it said. Air India said in a statement that the notices related to voluntary disclosures made over the past year, and it will respond to the regulator. 'We remain committed to the safety of our crew and passengers,' it added. The DGCA did not respond to a request for comment. Air India has come under intense scrutiny since the Ahmedabad crash, which was the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. A preliminary report found that the fuel control switches were flipped almost simultaneously after takeoff and there was pilot confusion in the cockpit. One pilot asked the other why he cut off the fuel and the other responded that he had not done so, the report said. Separately, the EU's aviation agency said this month it will investigate Air India Express, the airline's budget service, after Reuters reported the carrier did not change the engine parts of an Airbus A320 in a timely manner. India's watchdog also found in May that Air India flew three Airbus planes even though they were overdue for checks on emergency equipment. The crash and the warning notices have increased challenges for Indian conglomerate Tata, which took over the airline from the government in 2022 with the aim of turning it into a world-class airline. This week's government notices were addressed to senior executives, including the airline's director of flight operations, Pankul Mathur, and its director of training, Amar Bhatia. — Reuters
Kuwait Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Air India warned by regulator over ‘systemic' lapses in fatigue management and training
NEW DELHI: Air India has been warned by India's aviation regulator that it could face enforcement action for breaching safety standards related to crew fatigue management and training, government notices to the airline seen by Reuters showed. The airline self-reported the problems, which occurred this year and last year, to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last month, just days after one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners crashed in Ahmedabad city, killing 260 people. Four government notices, dated July 23, criticized Air India for repeated failures in safety compliance and follow many other warnings in the past. Potential regulatory action could include fines or ordering that executives be removed from their jobs. They cite a combined 29 violations, including pilots not being given mandatory rest, poor compliance with simulator training requirements, lack of training for a high-altitude airport and flying on international routes with insufficient cabin crew. 'Despite repeated warning and enforcement action of non-compliance in the past, systemic issues related to compliance monitoring, crew planning, and training governance remain unresolved,' said one of the notices. 'The recurrence of such violations suggests a failure to establish and enforce effective control mechanisms,' it said. Air India said in a statement that the notices related to voluntary disclosures made over the past year, and it will respond to the regulator. 'We remain committed to the safety of our crew and passengers,' it added. The DGCA did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Investigations and warnings Air India has come under intense scrutiny since the Ahmedabad crash, which was the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. A preliminary report found that the fuel control switches were flipped almost simultaneously after takeoff and there was pilot confusion in the cockpit. One pilot asked the other why he cut off the fuel and the other responded that he hadn't done so, the report said. Separately, the EU's aviation agency said this month it will investigate Air India Express, the airline's budget service, after Reuters reported the carrier did not change the engine parts of an Airbus A320 in a timely manner. India's watchdog also found in May that Air India flew three Airbus planes even though they were overdue for checks on emergency equipment. The crash and the warning notices have increased challenges for Indian conglomerate Tata, which took over the airline from the government in 2022 with the aim of turning it into a world-class airline. This week's government notices were addressed to senior executives, including the airline's director of flight operations, Pankul Mathur, and its director of training, Amar Bhatia. One of the notices said there had been 'weekly rest violations' detected for two pilots in June 2024 and one in June 2025, though it did not say how many extra hours the pilots flew. Another notice said that last year, two pilots took simulator training but did not start flying within the prescribed time limit, a lapse that requires them to undergo training again. In April this year, a pilot flew from Kathmandu without the mandatory special simulator training required for the airport, the notice added. Kathmandu has mountainous terrain and a high-altitude table-top runway. Table-top runways have steep drops at one or both ends. 'This is substantially risky because Kathmandu is an airport which requires prior training ... in case of any emergency (pilots) will not have the time to peruse a manual,' Vibhuti Singh, a former legal expert at India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. The warnings also included concerns that cabin safety teams has 'repeatedly failed to adhere' to rules, as four international flights in April and May this year flew with fewer cabin crew than the 15 required. —Reuters One senior Indian government official with direct knowledge of the notices said the administration was concerned that 'Air India is taking things for granted', adding 'we have given them many warnings.' Air India received nine warning notices in the past six months, the government told parliament this week. Last year, authorities warned or fined airlines in 23 instances for safety violations. Eleven instances involved the Air India group. —Reuters
Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Air India operated flights violating pilot rest norms and training rules: DGCA
Civil Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation have issued at least four show cause notices to Air India over multiple violation of pilot rest rules, not fulfilling training requirements and deploying inadequate number of cabin crew on ultra-long haul flights, according to documents reviewed by ET. While Air India voluntarily reported the violations to the DGCA , they were done two days before the regulator was supposed to inspect the airline's records as part of its annual surveillance of the airline's main base at Delhi. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Degree CXO Data Science Technology Others Leadership Data Science Product Management MBA healthcare Data Analytics Digital Marketing Healthcare Finance others PGDM Public Policy Project Management MCA Cybersecurity Operations Management Design Thinking Management Skills you'll gain: Data-Driven Decision-Making Strategic Leadership and Transformation Global Business Acumen Comprehensive Business Expertise Duration: 2 Years University of Western Australia UWA Global MBA Starts on Jun 28, 2024 Get Details In one of the cases, three Air India pilots operated beyond the mandated weekly duty hours. The regulator asked Air India's head of operations Pankul Mathur to explain the lapse. The regulator had earlier asked the airline to remove head of its operations control centre and two other senior officials after it found that the airline had operated two flights on the Bengaluru-London route where the pilots exceeded the stipulated duty limit of 10 hours. In another case, two Air India pilots underwent simulator training but did not start flying within the prescribed time limit, a lapse that requires them to undergo training again. While in another case 17 pilots flew flights in and out of Kathmandu without a mandatory training. To operate out of airports like Kathmandu which are situated in hilly areas pilots require extra training as there can be lack of navigation aids, inadequate en route weather information and sudden weather changes like turbulence due to strong winds blowing through the valleys. 'Despite repeated warnings and enforcement actions in the past, these violations demonstrated a continuing failure to implement effective training governance and compliance monitoring mechanisms. This constitutes a serious safety and regulatory concern,' an official of DGCA wrote in the show cause notice. In another instance the airline operated flights to North America without adequate cabin crew. These flights were operated soon after the Pahelgam terror attack following which Pakistan had shut its airspace for Indian carriers increasing flight time for flights between India and North America. DGCA had temporarily extend the maximum duty hours and rest period for pilots on long-haul routes to allow the airline to tackle Pakistan's airspace ban. "We acknowledge receipt of these notices from the regulator related to certain voluntary disclosures that were made over the last one year by Air India. We will respond to the said notices within the stipulated period. We remain committed to the safety of our crew and passengers," an Air India spokesperson said. The regulator has increased surveillance on Air India following last month's crash of a Boeing 787 aircraft at Ahmedabad killing 270 people. A preliminary assessment by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said that they are focusing on movement of fuel switches seconds after take-off leading to shut down of engines.
India Today
4 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Aviation regulator warned Air India over crew fatigue, training lapses: Report
Air India has been warned by India's aviation regulator that it could face enforcement action for breaching safety standards related to crew fatigue management and training, government notices to the airline seen by Reuters airline self-reported the problems, which occurred this year and last year, to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last month, just days after one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners crashed in Ahmedabad city, killing 260 government notices, dated July 23, criticised Air India for repeated failures in safety compliance and follow many other warnings in the past. Potential regulatory action could include fines or ordering that executives be removed from their jobs. They cite a combined 29 violations, including pilots not being given mandatory rest, poor compliance with simulator training requirements, lack of training for a high-altitude airport and flying on international routes with insufficient cabin crew."Despite repeated warning and enforcement action of non-compliance in the past, systemic issues related to compliance monitoring, crew planning, and training governance remain unresolved," said one of the notices."The recurrence of such violations suggests a failure to establish and enforce effective control mechanisms," it India said in a statement that the notices related to voluntary disclosures made over the past year, and it will respond to the regulator."We remain committed to the safety of our crew and passengers," it DGCA did not respond to a Reuters request for AND WARNINGSAir India has come under intense scrutiny since the Ahmedabad crash, which was the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade.A preliminary report found that the fuel control switches were flipped almost simultaneously after takeoff and there was pilot confusion in the cockpit. One pilot asked the other why he cut off the fuel and the other responded that he hadn't done so, the report the EU's aviation agency said this month it will investigate Air India Express, the airline's budget service, after Reuters reported the carrier did not change the engine parts of an Airbus A320 in a timely watchdog also found in May that Air India flew three Airbus planes even though they were overdue for checks on emergency crash and the warning notices have increased challenges for Indian conglomerate Tata, which took over the airline from the government in 2022 with the aim of turning it into a world-class week's government notices were addressed to senior executives, including the airline's director of flight operations, Pankul Mathur, and its director of training, Amar of the notices said there had been "weekly rest violations" detected for two pilots in June 2024 and one in June 2025, though it did not say how many extra hours the pilots notice said that last year, two pilots took simulator training but did not start flying within the prescribed time limit, a lapse that requires them to undergo training April this year, a pilot flew from Kathmandu without the mandatory special simulator training required for the airport, the notice added. Kathmandu has mountainous terrain and a high-altitude table-top runway. Table-top runways have steep drops at one or both ends."This is substantially risky because Kathmandu is an airport which requires prior training ... in case of any emergency (pilots) will not have the time to peruse a manual," Vibhuti Singh, a former legal expert at India's Aircraft Accident Investigation warnings also included concerns that cabin safety teams has "repeatedly failed to adhere" to rules, as four international flights in April and May this year flew with fewer cabin crew than the 15 senior Indian government official with direct knowledge of the notices said the administration was concerned that "Air India is taking things for granted", adding "we have given them many warnings."Air India received nine warning notices in the past six months, the government told parliament this week. Last year, authorities warned or fined airlines in 23 instances for safety violations. Eleven instances involved the Air India group.- EndsTune InMust Watch
Business Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Air India warned by regulator over 'systemic' lapses in fatigue management and training
[NEW DELHI] Air India has been warned by India's aviation regulator that it could face enforcement action for breaching safety standards related to crew fatigue management and training, government notices to the airline seen by Reuters showed. The airline self-reported the problems, which occurred this year and last year, to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last month, just days after one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners crashed in Ahmedabad city, killing 260 people. Four government notices, dated July 23, criticised Air India for repeated failures in safety compliance and follow many other warnings in the past. Potential regulatory action could include fines or ordering that executives be removed from their jobs. They cite a combined 29 violations, including pilots not being given mandatory rest, poor compliance with simulator training requirements, lack of training for a high-altitude airport and flying on international routes with insufficient cabin crew. 'Despite repeated warning and enforcement action of non-compliance in the past, systemic issues related to compliance monitoring, crew planning, and training governance remain unresolved,' said one of the notices. 'The recurrence of such violations suggests a failure to establish and enforce effective control mechanisms,' it said. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Air India said in a statement that the notices related to voluntary disclosures made over the past year, and it will respond to the regulator. 'We remain committed to the safety of our crew and passengers,' it added. The DGCA did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Air India has come under intense scrutiny since the Ahmedabad crash, which was the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. A preliminary report found that the fuel control switches were flipped almost simultaneously after takeoff and there was pilot confusion in the cockpit. One pilot asked the other why he cut off the fuel and the other responded that he hadn't done so, the report said. Separately, the EU's aviation agency said this month it will investigate Air India Express, the airline's budget service, after Reuters reported the carrier did not change the engine parts of an Airbus A320 in a timely manner. India's watchdog also found in May that Air India flew three Airbus planes even though they were overdue for checks on emergency equipment. The crash and the warning notices have increased challenges for Indian conglomerate Tata, which took over the airline from the government in 2022 with the aim of turning it into a world-class airline. This week's government notices were addressed to senior executives, including the airline's director of flight operations, Pankul Mathur, and its director of training, Amar Bhatia. One of the notices said there had been 'weekly rest violations' detected for two pilots in June 2024 and one in June 2025, though it did not say how many extra hours the pilots flew. Another notice said that last year, two pilots took simulator training but did not start flying within the prescribed time limit, a lapse that requires them to undergo training again. In April this year, a pilot flew from Kathmandu without the mandatory special simulator training required for the airport, the notice added. Kathmandu has mountainous terrain and a high-altitude table-top runway. Table-top runways have steep drops at one or both ends. 'This is substantially risky because Kathmandu is an airport which requires prior training ... in case of any emergency (pilots) will not have the time to peruse a manual,' Vibhuti Singh, a former legal expert at India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. The warnings also included concerns that cabin safety teams has 'repeatedly failed to adhere' to rules, as four international flights in April and May this year flew with fewer cabin crew than the 15 required. One senior Indian government official with direct knowledge of the notices said the administration was concerned that 'Air India is taking things for granted', adding 'we have given them many warnings.' Air India received nine warning notices in the past six months, the government told parliament this week. Last year, authorities warned or fined airlines in 23 instances for safety violations. Eleven instances involved the Air India group. REUTERS
