DGCA enforces Rs. 80 lakh fine on Air India

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) fined Air India Limited Rs 80 lakhs for violating flight duty time limits (FDTL) and the flight crew fatigue management system (FMS). The reason for the imposition of the fee was the conclusion that the carrier's previous show cause notice response was "non-satisfactory."

Following a spot audit of Air India Limited by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in January of this year, the aviation regulator released a statement on March 22. An audit was carried out to make sure the operator was abiding by all FDTL and FMS laws.

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Evidence and reports indicate that there have been cases of flight crew members over sixty years old traveling together on Air India Limited flights. This is forbidden according to paragraph two of Rule 28 A of the 1937 Aircraft Rules. "The operator used to be also found lacking in providing satisfactory weekly rest, sufficient rest before & after ultra-long range (ULR) flights and sufficient rest on layover to flight crew, which disrupts the extant provisions of the Civil Aviation Requirements pertaining to FDTL," according to the study.

Overlapping duties, inadequately recorded training logs, and overstaying employment were just a few of the numerous problems the DGCA brought to light during the audit.