Air India was recently warned for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue for checks on emergency equipment. The incident came to light days after a devastating plane crash that left 270 people dead and dozens more injured in Ahmedabad. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flight had crashed into a medical college students hostel minutes after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport.
According to a Reuters report, spot checks in May revealed that three Air India Airbus planes were being operated despite mandatory inspections being overdue on the “critical emergency equipment” of escape slides. Government documents reviewed by the publication added that the domestic carrier had “failed to submit timely compliance responses” to deficiencies raised by the DGCA — “further evidencing weak procedural control and oversight”.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation report said that inspection of an Airbus A320 jet was delayed by more than a month before being carried out on May 15. AirNav Radar data shows that during the delay the plane flew to international destinations such as Dubai, Riyadh and Jeddah. Meanwhile an Airbus A319 used on domestic routes, showed checks were over three months late, while a third showed an inspection was two days late.
The DGCA investigation report also pulled up the airline for what it described as “inadequate internal oversight” and said several Air India aircraft checked by officials had outdated registration paperwork. Air India however told Reuters that all but one aircraft complied with such requirements and this “poses no impact” to safety. The company said that it was “accelerating” verification of all maintenance records, including dates of the escape slides, and would complete the process in the coming days.
The revelation came even as Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the airline had secured security clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for all its Boeing 787 aircraft.