India’s civil aviation regulator has fined Air India for $110,350 after operating an Airbus A320 without a valid airworthiness certificate. The regulator slammed the move for undermining the publics trust in the carrier.
Safety Oversights Prompts Fine
The Airbus A320 took passengers on eight flights between New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad on Nov. 24 and 25, 2025. However, the aircraft was missing its mandatory Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC), required annually after passing safety and compliance checks. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued the penalty on Feb. 5, holding Air India CEO Campbell Wilson accountable for the lapse. On top of this, two senior executives from the airline’s “Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation” were also suspended.
Air India pursued with an internal investigation and discovered “systematic failures” in procedures. Their inquiry reported that engineering staff failed to renew the expired certificate after the aircraft underwent maintenance for a month. Pilots also did not fully follow the standard operating procedures before takeoff. During the investigation with DGCA, the airline voluntarily reported the non-compliance, stating all gaps had been addressed.
“The accountable manager on behalf of Air India is found blameworthy for the above lapses,” the regulator wrote in a penalty order.
Air India is instructed to deposit 10 million Indian rupees within 30 days.
Systematic Failures Under Scrutiny
The DGCA commented that the incident:
“Further eroded public confidence and adversely impacted the safety compliance of the organisation.”
It comes less than a year after Air India suffered a fatal Boeing crash back in June 2025 that killed 260 people.
Previously, the carrier had received a handful of regulatory warnings for operating aircraft without checking emergency equipment and other audit lapses. Overall, this incident should remind airlines that stricter compliance and cross-checks should take the highest priority.
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