DGCA fine on Air India: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a fine of Rs 80 lakh on the airline company Air India. Learn about the case in detail.
DGCA fine on Air India: Aviation sector regulator DGCA on Friday imposed a fine of Rs 80 lakh on Tata Group-controlled Air India. This penalty was imposed for violating norms related to limiting flight service duration and fatigue management system for the crew. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had conducted an on-the-spot audit of Air India in January. This decision has been taken on the basis of evidence collected during this period.
There was negligence in providing adequate rest, show cause notice was issued
“Analysis of reports and evidence revealed that Air India Limited had, in some cases, flown with both crew members above 60 years of age,” the regulator said in a statement. According to the statement, the airline has neglected to provide its crew with adequate weekly rest and adequate rest before and after long flights. The regulator had issued a show cause notice to Air India regarding the violations on March 1. The airline’s reply to this notice was not found satisfactory.
A fine of Rs 30 lakh was imposed
DGCA had earlier imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India for not providing a wheelchair to an 80-year-old passenger at Mumbai airport. Due to unavailability of a wheelchair, the passenger had to walk from the plane to the terminal and fell. This passenger later died. This incident happened on 12 February. The official said, ‘Air India has not even given information about the action taken against the erring employees in this matter.’
Under the new rules of DGCA, which are going to be effective from June 1, pilots have been given adequate time to rest, so that their fatigue can be removed. The revised norms provide for increasing the weekly rest period for pilots to 48 hours and limiting the number of landings during night operations to two.
