India’s aviation regulator has launched a probe into Air India after the airline flew an aircraft on eight different occasions with an expired airworthiness certificate. The aircraft has now been grounded with an investigation underway.
Investigation Underway
India’s aviation regulatory body, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Tuesday said that it was investigating an incident where Air India flew an aircraft without a valid airworthiness review eight times. Though the civil aviation body has not mentioned the aircraft type, according to media reports, the incident pertains to an Airbus A320, with the registration VT-TQN.
The ARC is an annually issued document that ensures compliance with safety regulations and standards. It is issued after a review of an aircraft’s maintenance records, safety compliance and its physical condition. The aircraft in question had been grounded for maintenance, during which its airworthiness document had expired. After an engine change, the aircraft was brought back into service without renewing the document and was flown eight times before Air India reported the issue to the civil aviation body on November 26.
The aircraft has been grounded, and the personnel involved have been re-rostered. Air India, later in a statement to the media, had said that the personnel involved have been suspended, pending further review.
Concerns over Air India safety lapses
Air India has been facing increased scrutiny since the fatal June 12 plane crash, concerning its Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which killed 260 people. DGCA has been probing the airline’s safety compliance measures. The airline has also been dealing with financial issues owing to flight groundings, delays and an imposed ban on Indian airlines by Pakistan.
The civil aviation authority earlier in June had also raised concerns regarding its maintenance-related issues. It had advised the airline to improve “internal coordination across engineering, operations, ground handling units,” and “ensure the availability of adequate spares to mitigate passenger delays resulting from such issues, and strictly adhere to regulations.”
An investigation into this incident is underway by DGCA. Air India is also conducting an internal investigation into the matter.
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