The Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued four show cause notices to Air India on Wednesday over a range of regulatory violations. The airline has faced increased scrutiny and multiple regulatory issues in recent weeks following the devastating Ahmedabad plane crash — receiving more than a dozen notices from the regulatory body.
According to an ANI article, the latest tranche of show cause notices was issued on July 23 following voluntary disclosures made by Air India to the DGCA on June 20 and 21. The notices pertain to breaches related to Flight Duty Period and Weekly Rest requirements, cabin crew rest and duty norms, crew training, and operational procedures.
“We acknowledge receipt of these notices from the regulator related to certain voluntary disclosures that were made over the last one year by Air India. We will respond to the said notices within the stipulated period. We remain committed to the safety of our crew and passengers,” Air India said.
Over a dozen show cause notices sent
DGCA has issued more than a dozen show-cause notices to Air India in 2025 related to various safety and operational breaches. Key issues under focus include inadequate management of worker fatigue with pilots and cabin crew not being given mandatory rest periods. Air India has also been flagged for inadequate training — including simulator training lapses and insufficient training for operating at high-altitude airports. The regulatory body had previously highlighted cases wherein international flights were not operated with the required number of cabin crew members as well as crew scheduling and compliance monitoring failures.
“Despite repeated warnings and enforcement action for non-compliance in the past, systemic issues related to compliance monitoring, crew planning, and training governance remain unresolved. The recurrence of such violations suggests a failure to establish and enforce effective control mechanisms,” the show cause notices released on Wednesday said.
Each missive has sought a response from the airline within 14 to 15 days of receipt and asks why appropriate enforcement action should not be taken under applicable provisions of the Aircraft Rules and Civil Aviation Requirements. The matter may be decided ex parte based on the evidence on record in the event of non-compliance.
‘Slight rise in sick leave after AI-171 crash’
Air India reported a slight increase in sick leave taken by its pilots following the tragic crash of flight AI-171 on June 12. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said that on June 16, a total of 112 pilots across Air India’s fleet reported sick. This included 51 commanders and 61 first officers. The response came to an unstarred question raised by MP Jai Prakash regarding reports of mass sick leave among Air India flight crew after the incident.
(With inputs from agencies)