The DGCA has issued multiple fines and warnings to Air India over the past three years, flagging serious concerns in flight operations, cockpit discipline, and internal accountability.
Air India has been in regulatory crosshairs since its privatisation in January 2022.
While the Tata group's takeover was expected to mark a fresh start for the airline, it has repeatedly faced action from the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), over safety lapses, operational violations, and poor compliance practices.
The DGCA has issued multiple fines and warnings to Air India over the past three years, flagging serious concerns in flight operations, cockpit discipline, and internal accountability.
In January 2025, the DGCA imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India for allowing a pilot to operate a flight without meeting the mandatory 'recency' requirement.
The 'recency' rules ensure that pilots remain proficient by requiring at least three takeoffs and landings in the preceding 90 days.
Air India's rostering team reportedly ignored repeated alerts, which the regulator called a serious safety oversight.
In May 2024, the DGCA issued a scathing show-cause notice after two long-haul flights left travellers in a stifling aircraft without adequate air-conditioning.
The notice said the airline was 'time and again failing to take due care of its passengers'.
On May 24 and 30 last year, Air India's San Francisco-bound flights from Mumbai (AI-179) and Delhi (AI-183) were delayed by over 18 hours and 20 hours, respectively.
While AI-179 faced a series of operational setbacks, passengers on AI-183 endured stifling cabin conditions for hours (some reportedly fainted) before the flight was cancelled and everyone was asked to disembark.
In March 2024, the DGCA fined Air India Rs 80 lakh for violating flight duty time limitation (FDTL) rules, designed to ensure pilots are well-rested and not fatigued while flying.
A month earlier, in February, the airline was fined Rs 30 lakh after an elderly passenger suffered a fatal heart attack. The man had opted to walk to the terminal on his own after the airline failed to provide a requested wheelchair.
In January 2024, Air India was penalised Rs 30 lakh for not rostering enough CAT-III-trained pilots during a dense fog period.
CAT-III systems enable landings in extremely low-visibility conditions, but only specially certified pilots can operate them. The lapse contributed to widespread delays and cancellations at major airports.
Cockpit violations have also drawn attention. In June 2023, two pilots were suspended -- one for a year and the other for a month -- after they allowed an unauthorised person into the cockpit during a Chandigarh-Leh flight.
A few months earlier, in February, a Delhi-Dubai flight captain allowed a woman friend into the cockpit. He was suspended for three months while the co-pilot was let off with a warning for not acting against the violation.
In January 2023, Air India was fined Rs 30 lakh for mishandling a case where a passenger urinated on a fellow traveller on a New York-Delhi flight. The airline was pulled up for delaying its report to authorities and not following standard protocol.
In June 2022, shortly after the Tata takeover, the DGCA fined the airline Rs 10 lakh for denying boarding to valid ticket-holders without offering compensation, in violation of aviation rules.
In addition to specific incidents, the DGCA raised alarms in 2023 about Air India's safety oversight structure.
It flagged 'confusion' over roles between Rajeev Gupta, appointed as chief of Flight Safety, and Henry Donohoe, designated head of Safety, Security, and Quality.
The regulator asked CEO & MD Campbell Wilson -- Air India's 'Accountable Manager' under aviation regulations -- to streamline reporting lines to avoid ambiguity and enable faster resolution of safety matters.
In response to Business Standard's queries on this matter, an Air India spokesperson had in 2023 replied that the chief of Flight Safety at the airline was approved by the DGCA and had direct access to the Accountable Manager.
"In accordance with the extant DGCA approval that was granted a year ago, Captain Gupta has full responsibility for flight safety for Air India.
"Mr Henry Donohoe is employed at a corporate level to strengthen and align safety practices across the Group airlines. His role is complementary to and has no impediment on the role and functions of the head of Flight Safety," the spokesperson had said.
DGCA's past actions against Air India
- June 2022: Rs 10 lakh fine for denying boarding to valid ticket holders without mandated compensation.
- January 2023: Rs 30 lakh fine for mishandling urination incident on a New York-Delhi flight and delayed reporting.
- February 2023: Pilot suspended 3 months for allowing friend inside cockpit on a Delhi-Dubai flight.
- June 2023: Two pilots suspended for letting an unauthorised person enter cockpit during a Chandigarh-Leh flight.
- January 2024: Rs 30 lakh fine for not rostering enough CAT-III trained pilots during heavy fog operations.
- February 2024: Rs 30 lakh fine after elderly passenger died walking unaided due to missing wheelchair assistance.
- March 2024: Rs 80 lakh fine for breaching flight duty time limits meant to prevent pilot fatigue.
- May 2024: Show-cause notice for leaving passengers in stifling cabins during two delayed long-haul flights.
- January 2025: Rs 30 lakh fine for letting a pilot fly without completing required take-offs and landings.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
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