REGULATOR GETS TOUGH ON SAFETY LAPSES

DGCA's crackdown on Air India exposes systemic safety gaps in crew management

- SWAATI KETKAR

IN A SHARP AND UNPRECEDENTED MOVE, DIRECTORATE General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered the immediate removal of three senior Air India officials, including a divisional Vice President, from all responsibilities related to flight crew scheduling and rostering. The regulator has further directed the Tata Group-owned carrier to initiate disciplinary action against the officials involved. Failure to act may result in severe consequences, including the potential suspension of the airline's operating license.

This decisive action stems from an audit of Air India's Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC) a critical nerve centre responsible for crew deployment, flight dispatch, weather monitoring, and real-time route planning. At the heart of the controversy are two long-haul flights, AI133 from Bengaluru to London Heathrow on May 16 and 17 which reportedly exceeded DGCA's stipulated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL). These were not special or emergency services, but scheduled international operations that should have followed all regulatory guardrails.

The regulator, citing violations of Para 6.1.3 of the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), has issued a show cause notice to Air India's Accountable Manager, demanding an explanation within seven days. In its response, Air India has acknowledged the seriousness of the directive and announced that its Chief Operating Officer will now directly oversee the IOCC.

But the issue is far more troubling than an isolated breach. The violation of FDTL norms in a major scheduled carrier like Air India points to deeper, systemic issues: either the software meant to flag such violations failed, or worse, manual overrides were used to bypass safety-critical scheduling protocols?

FATIGUE, OVERSIGHT, AND A SYSTEM UNDER STRAIN