Aviation Regulator Orders Air India to Terminate Officials
New Delhi: The civil aviation authority based in New Delhi has instructed Air India to terminate the services of three of its officials due to “systemic failures,” according to a directive obtained by AFP on Saturday. This order follows increased scrutiny in the wake of a tragic accident.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) did not clarify whether this directive was directly linked to the incident that occurred on June 12 in Ahmedabad, which claimed the lives of 241 out of 242 passengers on board, along with at least 38 people on the ground.
As outlined in the DGCA’s directive, voluntary disclosures from the airline reveal significant concerns regarding crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability.
“Particularly concerning is the absence of rigorous disciplinary measures against key individuals responsible for these operational deficiencies,” stated the order issued on Friday.
“The officials involved have displayed serious and repeated failures,” it further remarked.
The regulator has mandated that Air India relieve the three specified officials from all responsibilities related to crew scheduling, initiate disciplinary actions, and submit a report detailing measures taken within ten days.
Non-compliance with future regulations may result in “license suspension.”
In response to this requirement, Air India confirmed on Saturday that it had begun implementing the necessary changes.
“Air India is committed to ensuring full compliance with safety protocols and standard operational practices,” the airline stated in its announcement.
Investigators are currently working to ascertain what caused the airline’s London-bound aircraft to descend sharply shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad.
On Thursday, Air India noted that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner involved was “well-maintained” and stressed that its pilots were highly trained professionals.
Both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered from the crash site.
