Two Air India pilots were suspended earlier this week after they were caught flying despite license discrepancies. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has now launched an investigation into the lapses and sought a detailed report from the airline. The incident is the latest in a series of scheduling and rostering issues that have plagued Air India over the past few months.
According to reports, a co-pilot and a senior captain were de-listed after the airline discovered they had each operated a flight without required certifications last month. The senior Air India captain had commanded an A320 flight despite holding a lapsed English Language Proficiency license — a document that is mandatory for pilots to fly an aircraft. A separate incident saw an Air India co-pilot working even though he had failed to clear the bi-annual pilot proficiency check and instrument rating test.
“An instance of a first officer operating a flight after an unsatisfactory recurrent training check was detected by the training team. As soon as the error came to our notice, a crew scheduler and the pilot involved were off-rostered. Strong disciplinary proceedings have been initiated and the same has been duly reported to the regulator, DGCA,” Times of India quoted an Air India spokesperson as saying about the latter.
Rostering issues persist
Air India had come under heavy scrutiny earlier this year following the devastating Ahmedabad plane crash. The DGCA had found serious “lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements” — ordering the immediate removal of three senior officials. The officials had been stripped of their rostering duties and moved to non-operational roles as they faced disciplinary proceedings and corrective reforms. The regulatory body had also warned Air India that future violations of crew scheduling norms, licensing or flight time limitations would “attract strict enforcement action” — including penalties, suspension of license, or even withdrawal of operator permissions.