The Indian aviation industry faces heightened scrutiny, with multiple airlines penalised for safety violations and mishandling operations.
NEW DELHI: The Indian aviation industry has come under intense scrutiny from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) due to a series of safety and operational violations, including unauthorised cockpit entries, insufficient oxygen on flights, and unqualified pilots operating international routes.
Air India, in particular, was heavily criticised, with multiple penalties imposed for breaches such as operating flights with inadequate oxygen and failing to meet proper training protocols, as revealed in data presented in Parliament.
Other airlines, including SpiceJet, Indigo, Vistara, and Akasa Air, were also penalised and warned for mishandling flight operations and failing to adhere to safety standards.
One of the most notable violations occurred in July 2024, when Air India received a warning for an incident involving unauthorised cockpit entry. One of the most notable violations occurred in July 2024, when Air India received a warning for an incident involving unauthorised cockpit entry. In a more severe incident, Air India was fined Rs 90 lakhs in August 2024 after a ‘non-line released trainee first officer’ was paired with a ‘non-trainer line captain’ to operate flight AI 921 in July 2024 on an international flight to Riyadh.
A “trainee first officer” refers to a pilot still undergoing training and not yet cleared to operate independently on scheduled flights. A “non-line released” pilot has not completed the necessary training to operate the aircraft on regular flights. A “line captain” is a fully qualified and experienced captain authorised to operate regular flights. A “non-trainer” line captain is qualified to fly but not trained or authorised to supervise or mentor other pilots, such as trainee first officers.
Additionally, Air India was penalised for operating Boeing 737 aircraft from Mumbai to San Francisco with insufficient oxygen on board, resulting in a fine of over Rs 1 crore in January 2024. Air India also faced scrutiny for its B777 training protocol, where it failed to properly train a pilot according to regulations.
SpiceJet, another major carrier, attracted attention for several violations, particularly in the management of flight operations during poor visibility conditions in January 2024. The airline was found to have mishandled flight diversions, leading to warnings and a Rs 30 lakh fine in January 2024. SpiceJet was also penalised for failing to provide complete data regarding cancelled, delayed, and diverted flights, resulting in an additional Rs 30 lakh fine.
Indigo Airlines was similarly involved in multiple violations in 2024. In February 2024, the airline received a warning after mishandling flight diversions during the fog window in January 2024. It was also penalised for inadequate training of its flight dispatchers, receiving a warning in May 2024.
Vistara, a major full-service airline, faced a Rs 30 lakh fine in May 2024 following an audit in February that revealed deficiencies in its crew management and operational systems.
Newer airline Akasa Air was found to have violated training standards, specifically for failing to meet compliance for advanced training programmes and lacking certified examiners. As a result, Akasa Air was issued a Rs 30 lakh fine in October 2024. Additionally, the airline’s Director of Training and Director of Flight Operations were suspended for six months in December 2024 due to the airline’s failure to meet critical operational standards.
Blue Dart Aviation was also penalised Rs 20 lakh on April 10, 2024, for using unapproved flight simulation training devices in France and Belgium.
Other airlines involved in violations include Air India Express, Tata SIA Airlines, and Alliance Air. Air India Express was issued a Rs 1 lakh fine in May 2024 for failing to conduct mandatory inspections after hard landings on its Boeing 737-8MAX aircraft. Tata SIA Airlines was fined Rs 10 lakhs after a maintenance technician was injured during a maintenance operation due to the lack of necessary safety equipment. Similarly, Alliance Air received a warning in February 2024 for failing to comply with continuing airworthiness requirements.
Officials stated that the stringent measures being employed by DGCA and other government
According to a senior official from one of the regulatory bodies, a message had been sent to the owners of these carriers and other private companies involved in aviation management. The message, which percolated down to maintenance and safety staff, conveyed that their proximity to certain political leaders would exempt them from these stringent regulations.