Latest news with #AdhirajYadav
Business Recorder
8 hours ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
India's watchdog to start Air India annual audit, days after deadly crash
NEW DELHI: Ten officials from India's aviation safety watchdog will visit Air India headquarters on Tuesday for an annual audit, a government memo showed, just as the airline is facing intense scrutiny after a plane crash killed 271 people. The audit is unrelated to the accident, but Air India has been getting warning notices for compliance lapses in recent days, and has also reduced its routes citing 'operational stability' needs after the June 12 deadly crash of its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in India's Ahmedabad. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials will inspect documents related to Air India operations, previous audit findings and action-taken reports during the visit, according to a government memo seen by Reuters. The 10-member DGCA team will include many flight operation inspectors and will be led by Adhiraj Yadav, a deputy chief flight operations inspector. Two officials to check on cabin safety norms are also in the team. The 'annual surveillance and regulatory audit' will last from June 24-26, and mandatorily requires top Air India executives to be present, the memo stated. Air India cuts less than 5pc of narrowbody jet routes 16 Air India and the DGCA did not respond to Reuters queries. The watchdog on Saturday issued a warning to Air India for 'repeated and serious violations' related to pilot duty scheduling, and directed the airline to remove three company executives from crew scheduling roles. Air India said it has complied with the order. Air India was taken over by the Tata Group in 2022 and faces many challenges in its attempts to rebuild its image, after years of criticism from travelers for poor service. Last week, Reuters also reported the authorities had also warned Air India for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue for checks on emergency equipment of escape slides. The cause of the June 12 incident is still under investigation.
Arabian Post
9 hours ago
- Business
- Arabian Post
DGCA Launches Rigorous Audit of Air India Amid Heightened Safety Oversight
A team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation will conduct a comprehensive annual audit of Air India from 24 to 26 June, intensifying focus on the carrier's operations and compliance following the June 12 crash of Flight AI171 in Ahmedabad, which claimed nearly 280 lives. Though scheduled independently of the crash, the audit arrives as inspectors scrutinise the airline's operational documents, cabin safety protocols, and historical audit responses. Leading the review will be Deputy Chief Flight Operations Inspector Adhiraj Yadav and a team of ten officials, including two cabin safety experts. The inspection will span documents on airworthiness, crew training and flight duty records, and previous non-compliance action plans. The DGCA has emphasised mandatory presence of key Air India executives during the audit. The audit takes place against a backdrop of mounting regulatory intervention. In late May, a DGCA inspection found that three Airbus jets in Air India's fleet flew without timely safety checks on their emergency slides—one A320 had a check more than one month overdue, and one A319 was delayed by over three months. The regulator issued formal warnings and described the delayed compliance as evidence of 'weak procedural control and oversight'. ADVERTISEMENT Further compounding matters, the DGCA last Saturday issued a stern warning for repeated and serious pilot duty scheduling violations, instructing the removal of three crew-scheduling executives. Air India has indicated it has acted on the directive. These developments follow intensified inspections of all 33 Boeing 787s in Air India's fleet. While initial findings revealed no major safety defects, 24 aircraft had already undergone enhanced inspections by mid-June, with the remainder scheduled to complete the checks shortly. The comprehensive checks contributed to delays and cancellations across wide-body operations, with a downturn in route availability pegged at around 15 percent through mid‑July. Experts suggest that this layer of oversight reflects a strategic shift by the DGCA toward '360-degree' evaluations, broadening beyond routine audits to include airlines, airports, maintenance organisations, training institutes and ground services. Officials describe this as a coordinated effort to fortify the aviation ecosystem after safety deficiencies surfaced in recent months. In response, Air India has emphasised that it is accelerating its internal compliance efforts, including extensive verification of maintenance records and ensuring escape-slide checks are up to date. The airline maintains that its aircraft—particularly the ill-fated Boeing 787-8—were 'well maintained' and crews were suitably experienced. The crash of Flight AI171 involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner registered VT‑ANB, which lost thrust after take-off and impacted a hostel block at B.J. Medical College shortly after clearing the runway. Only one passenger survived, while at least 39 people were killed on the ground. Both UK and US authorities are supporting the investigation, which is examining technical and procedural factors such as engine performance, hydraulic systems, flap configuration and crew training. Tata Group, which assumed ownership of Air India in 2022, has urged staff to treat the disaster as a 'turning point' in rebuilding a safety-first culture. Its strategic investments have included more than US $70 billion in new aircraft orders, infrastructure upgrades and a full-scale rebranding effort. Analysts caution, however, that restoring public trust hinges on tangible improvements in operational discipline and compliance. The DGCA audit will therefore not only evaluate existing compliance but also test if Air India's corrective processes are thorough and permanent. Given recent warnings and the complexity of the current probe, expectations are high that the audit's findings could shape a longer-term regulatory approach to aviation safety in India.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
India's watchdog to start Air India annual audit, days after deadly crash
By Aditya Kalra NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Ten officials from India's aviation safety watchdog will visit Air India headquarters on Tuesday for an annual audit, a government memo showed, just as the airline is facing intense scrutiny after a plane crash killed 271 people. The audit is unrelated to the accident, but Air India has been getting warning notices for compliance lapses in recent days, and has also reduced its routes citing "operational stability" needs after the June 12 deadly crash of its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in India's Ahmedabad. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials will inspect documents related to Air India operations, previous audit findings and action-taken reports during the visit, according to a government memo seen by Reuters. The 10-member DGCA team will include many flight operation inspectors and will be led by Adhiraj Yadav, a deputy chief flight operations inspector. Two officials to check on cabin safety norms are also in the team. The "annual surveillance and regulatory audit" will last from June 24-26, and mandatorily requires top Air India executives to be present, the memo stated. Air India and the DGCA did not respond to Reuters queries. The watchdog on Saturday issued a warning to Air India for "repeated and serious violations" related to pilot duty scheduling, and directed the airline to remove three company executives from crew scheduling roles. Air India said it has complied with the order. Air India was taken over by the Tata Group in 2022 and faces many challenges in its attempts to rebuild its image, after years of criticism from travelers for poor service. Last week, Reuters also reported the authorities had also warned Air India for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue for checks on emergency equipment of escape slides. The cause of the June 12 incident is still under investigation.
Zawya
11 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
India's watchdog to start Air India annual audit, days after deadly crash
Ten officials from India's aviation safety watchdog will visit Air India headquarters on Tuesday for an annual audit, a government memo showed, just as the airline is facing intense scrutiny after a plane crash killed 271 people. The audit is unrelated to the accident, but Air India has been getting warning notices for compliance lapses in recent days, and has also reduced its routes citing "operational stability" needs after the June 12 deadly crash of its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in India's Ahmedabad. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials will inspect documents related to Air India operations, previous audit findings and action-taken reports during the visit, according to a government memo seen by Reuters. The 10-member DGCA team will include many flight operation inspectors and will be led by Adhiraj Yadav, a deputy chief flight operations inspector. Two officials to check on cabin safety norms are also in the team. The "annual surveillance and regulatory audit" will last from June 24-26, and mandatorily requires top Air India executives to be present, the memo stated. Air India and the DGCA did not respond to Reuters queries. The watchdog on Saturday issued a warning to Air India for "repeated and serious violations" related to pilot duty scheduling, and directed the airline to remove three company executives from crew scheduling roles. Air India said it has complied with the order. Air India was taken over by the Tata Group in 2022 and faces many challenges in its attempts to rebuild its image, after years of criticism from travelers for poor service. Last week, Reuters also reported the authorities had also warned Air India for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue for checks on emergency equipment of escape slides. The cause of the June 12 incident is still under investigation. (Reporting by Aditya Kalra, Editing by Nick Zieminski)
Reuters
11 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
India's watchdog to start Air India annual audit, days after deadly crash
NEW DELHI, June 23 (Reuters) - Ten officials from India's aviation safety watchdog will visit Air India headquarters on Tuesday for an annual audit, a government memo showed, just as the airline is facing intense scrutiny after a plane crash killed 271 people. The audit is unrelated to the accident, but Air India has been getting warning notices for compliance lapses in recent days, and has also reduced its routes citing "operational stability" needs after the June 12 deadly crash of its Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 787-8 Dreamliner in India's Ahmedabad. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials will inspect documents related to Air India operations, previous audit findings and action-taken reports during the visit, according to a government memo seen by Reuters. The 10-member DGCA team will include many flight operation inspectors and will be led by Adhiraj Yadav, a deputy chief flight operations inspector. Two officials to check on cabin safety norms are also in the team. The "annual surveillance and regulatory audit" will last from June 24-26, and mandatorily requires top Air India executives to be present, the memo stated. Air India and the DGCA did not respond to Reuters queries. The watchdog on Saturday issued a warning to Air India for "repeated and serious violations" related to pilot duty scheduling, and directed the airline to remove three company executives from crew scheduling roles. Air India said it has complied with the order. Air India was taken over by the Tata Group in 2022 and faces many challenges in its attempts to rebuild its image, after years of criticism from travelers for poor service. Last week, Reuters also reported the authorities had also warned Air India for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue for checks on emergency equipment of escape slides. The cause of the June 12 incident is still under investigation.
