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New Delhi: On Friday, The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a hefty fine of Rs 80 lakh on Air India. The fine has been imposed for violation of regulations pertaining to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) and fatigue management system (FMS) of flight crew.
The decision came after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducted a spot audit of Air India in January, during which evidence was collected and fleet-wise random reports were analysed. The audit also uncovered instances of pilots exceeding duty periods, which were incorrectly marked training records.
Such violations pose serious risks to flight safety and passenger well-being. The analysis of reports and evidence revealed that Air India Limited operated flight(s) with both flight crew aged above 60 years flying together in a few instances.
In a release,the regulator said,”The operator was also found deficient in providing adequate weekly rest, adequate rest before & after ultra-long range (ULR) flights and adequate rest on layover to flight crew, which violates the extant provisions of the Civil Aviation Requirements pertaining to FDTL.”
Further, the DGCA said there were instances of exceeding duty periods, wrongly marked training records and overlapping duties. Earlier, the aviation regulator imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India when an 80-year-old passenger collapsed during the immigration process on February 12 and died.
