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DGCA slaps ₹90-lakh fine on Air India for unqualified crew on Mumbai-Riyadh flight

The DGCA slapped a fine of ₹90 lakh on Air India for operating a flight on July 9 from Mumbai to Riyadh with an unqualified crew.

The fine follows a voluntary report submitted by Air India after it emerged that a junior pilot yet to be released for flying duties was assigned a flight with a captain who was not a trainer.

The regulator said in a press statement that the incident “has been viewed as a serious scheduling incident having significant safety ramifications,” referring to a rostering lapse on the part of Air India. The airline’s Director of Operations and Director of Flight Safety also face a fine of ₹6 lakh and ₹3 lakh each.

A junior pilot who is not yet released for flying can only be assigned cockpit duties along with a Line Training Captain, a Type Rating Instructor or a Designated Examiner.

In the July 9 incident, the trainee pilot was supposed to operate the Mumbai-Riyadh flight with a training captain. However, the training Captain fell ill and rostering replaced him with a non-training Captain. The two pilots realised the goof-up on the part of the scheduling department only mid-flight and filed a voluntary report after landing in Riyadh.

The regulator said during an investigation it found several lapses, but didn’t go into the details. “It was prima facie revealed that there are deficiencies and multiple violations to the regulatory provisions by several post holders and staff, which could significantly affect safety,” it said.