DGCA orders Air India to remove 3 senior officials
New Delhi: DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has directed Air India to remove three officials “responsible for operational lapses” from all roles and responsibilities related to crew scheduling and rostering.
Further it is worth mentioning that, DGCA has also directed internal disciplinary proceedings against these officials without delay, and that the outcome of such proceedings shall be reported back within ten days.
The DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) further issued a show cause notice to the Accountable Manager of Air India, stating ‘during a spot check, it has been observed that the Accountable Manager of Air India operated two flights from Bangalore to London (Al133) on 16 May 2025 and 17 May 2025, both of which exceeded the stipulated flight time limit of 10 hours’.
DGCA asked the officer to respond within seven days as to why appropriate enforcement action should not be initiated for the violation.
The notice issued by DGCA to Air India read as follows, “Whereas, repeated and serious violations voluntarily disclosed by M/s Air India concerning flight crew being scheduled and operated despite lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements.”
The notice further read, “These violations were discovered during the post-transition review from ARMS to the CAE Flight and Crew Management System. The voluntary disclosures, while noted, point to systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability. Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible for these operational lapses.”
The following personnel have been identified as directly responsible for the continued non-compliance:
1. Mr. Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice President
2. Ms. Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager – DOPS, Crew Scheduling
3. Ms. Payal Arora, Crew Scheduling – Planning
Further, “These officials have been involved in serious and repeated lapses including but not limited to: Unauthorized and non-compliant crew pairings. Violation of mandatory licensing and recency norms Systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversight
In view of the above, the following directions are hereby issued with immediate effect:
1. M/s Air India is directed to remove the above-mentioned officials from all roles and responsibilities related to crew scheduling and rostering.
2. Internal disciplinary proceedings must be initiated against these officials without delay, and the outcome of such proceedings shall be reported to this office within 10 days from the date of issue of this letter.
3. The aforementioned officials shall be reassigned to non-operational roles pending conclusion of corrective reforms in scheduling practices, and shall not hold any position involving direct influence over flight safety and crew compliance until further notice.
4. Any future violation of crew scheduling norms, licensing, or flight time limitations detected in any post-audit or inspection, will attract strict enforcement action, including but not limited to penalties, license suspension, or withdrawal of operator permissions as applicable.
