DGCA suspends 3 crew rostering heads, warns A-I of licence revocation

Business Standard

4 hours ago

In its most serious action yet against Air India following the 12 June crash of flight AI171, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended three senior executives responsible for flight crew rostering and warned that the airline's licence to operate could be revoked if similar violations are detected in future audits or inspections.
The regulator issued two documents — an order and a show cause notice — to the airline on Friday (20 June). The order sought the removal of key rostering officials after the DGCA found 'repeated and serious violations voluntarily disclosed by Air India concerning flight crew being scheduled and operated despite lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements'. Recency norms require that a pilot must have performed at least three take-offs and landings in the preceding 90 days to remain eligible to fly.
The show cause notice was issued to Air India's Accountable Manager, who personally operated two international flights that exceeded the permitted flight duty time limit (FDTL) under existing regulations. FDTL are caps placed on how long a pilot or cabin crew member can be on active duty — including flying and pre/post-flight activities — in a single stretch. They are meant to prevent fatigue, which is a known contributor to human error in aviation.
According to the first document issued (order), the violations by key crew rostering officials were discovered during a post-transition review after the airline shifted from the ARMS system to the CAE flight and crew management and rostering system. The DGCA said: 'The voluntary disclosures, while noted, point to systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability.'
'Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible for these operational lapses,' it added.
The three officials named in the order — Choorah Singh (Divisional Vice-President), Pinky Mittal (Chief Manager — DOPS, Crew Scheduling), and Payal Arora (Crew Scheduling — Planning) — were found to 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, systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversight'.
The DGCA directed Air India to remove the three from 'all roles and responsibilities related to crew scheduling and rostering' and place them in non-operational roles pending reforms. The airline must also initiate internal disciplinary proceedings and report the outcome 'within 10 days from the date of issue of this letter'.
The regulator further warned: '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, licence suspension, or withdrawal of operator permissions as applicable.'
Responding to the DGCA's notices, an Air India spokesperson told Business Standard: 'We acknowledge the regulator's directive and have implemented the order. In the interim, the company's Chief Operations Officer will provide direct oversight to the Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC). Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices.'
In the second document issued (show cause notice), the DGCA said that during a spot check it was observed that the Accountable Manager operated two flights from Bengaluru to London — on 16 and 17 May — both of which 'exceeded the stipulated flight time limit of 10 hours', in violation of a specific rule issued by DGCA in 2019.
The 2019 rule limits a pilot's flight duty period on long-haul international sectors to 10 hours to ensure adequate alertness and prevent over-fatigue. Flying beyond this limit without special authorisation or crew augmentation is considered a safety violation.
The DGCA notice also cited a second violation, which specified the duties of the Accountable Manager, who is personally responsible for maintaining operational control and ensuring that the airline's internal systems are in full compliance with civil aviation regulations. In essence, the regulator held the executive accountable not just for the flight time breach but also for allowing a lapse in command responsibility over regulatory adherence.
The DGCA has asked the Accountable Manager to explain within seven days why action should not be taken against him under aviation rules for the violations listed in the notice. It added that if no response is received in time, the matter will be decided unilaterally based on the available evidence.
The enforcement action comes amid heightened scrutiny of Air India's internal systems after the crash of AI171 in Ahmedabad. The aircraft had 230 passengers and 12 flight crew members on board. All but one passenger perished in the crash. Moreover, 34 people on the ground also died as a result of the crash.