MUMBAI: India’s aviation safety regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has asked flight operations inspectors to furnish comprehensive details of all inspections and audits conducted on Air India since 2024, according to sources familiar with the development.
The urgent directive comes just days after a fatal crash involving an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on June 12, which killed more than 270 people.
The Air India aircraft had taken off from Ahmedabad and crashed shortly thereafter, marking one of the worst aviation disasters in India in over a decade. The incident has triggered intense regulatory scrutiny on the Tata Group-owned airline.
In an internal communication circulated on Friday, the DGCA asked its teams to submit data on planned and unplanned inspections, including cockpit and en route audits, ramp checks, cabin and station facility inspections, and other safety-related reviews covering the period from January 2024 to the present.
The submission deadline has been set for Sunday, sources said.
Show-cause notice
This request for a comprehensive audit trail follows DGCA’s issuance of a show-cause notice to Air India for violations related to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL).
The regulator also ordered the removal of three senior officials of the airline from their current roles, citing lapses in operational oversight.
Air India has been under regulatory observation even before the recent tragedy. Over the past year, the airline has been flagged for various instances of non-compliance – including crew fatigue concerns, training gaps, and operational irregularities.
The June 12 crash has significantly increased pressure on both the airline and the regulator to tighten oversight and ensure accountability.
Sources indicate that the DGCA’s latest move is part of a broader effort to identify whether warning signs were missed or insufficiently addressed during inspections and audits over the past 18 months.
The Tata Group took over Air India from the government in January 2022 and has since been focused on turning around the airline’s operations and brand perception.
However, the crash has shifted the focus squarely onto safety practices and internal governance.
The DGCA is expected to use the compiled inspection and audit data to assess systemic weaknesses, if any, that may have contributed to recent lapses – with further regulatory action likely based on its findings.
