Air India has been penalised by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for flouting safety rules on flights operating on certain long-range terrain critical routes. The aviation regulator imposed a fine of Rs 1.1 crore on the national carrier after an investigation revealed non-compliance by the airline.
The case pertains to a pilot refusing to operate a non-stop Bengaluru-San Francisco flight that didn’t have enough emergency oxygen on board, according to sources. The flight was operated by a Boeing 777 aircraft, which requires a minimum of 12 oxygen cylinders for such routes. However, Air India had only nine cylinders on board, which was below the regulatory and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) performance limits.
The DGCA said it opened a probe after an airline employee voluntarily flagged the violations in a safety report. Based on the airline’s response to its show cause notice, the DGCA decided to initiate enforcement action and impose the penalty on Air India.
Air India, however, disagreed with the order and insisted that there was no compromise on safety. The airline said it had examined the issues along with external experts and concluded that the operations were safe. The airline also said it was studying the order in detail and would review the options available to it, including appealing against it or taking it up with the regulator.
This is the second time in a week that Air India faced penalties by the DGCA. Last Thursday, Air India was fined Rs 30 lakh for poor preparedness leading to fog delays.