By Asia Samachar | India |
India’s aviation watchdog found 51 safety lapses at Air India in its July audit, including lack of adequate training for some pilots, use of unapproved simulators and a poor rostering system, according to a government report seen by Reuters.
The annual audit was not related to the deadly Boeing 787 crash last month that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad, but its findings come as the airline faces renewed scrutiny after the accident.
The airline, acquired by the Tata Group from the government in 2022, is already facing warning notices for running planes without checking emergency equipment, not changing engine parts in time and forging records, along with other lapses related to crew fatigue management, Reuters reported.
The 11-page confidential audit report from the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) noted seven “Level I” significant breaches which need to be fixed by July 30, and 44 other non-compliances classified which need to be resolved by Aug 23.
Officials said they found “recurrent training gaps” for some unspecified Boeing 787 and 777 pilots, saying they had not completed their monitoring duties – where they don’t fly but observe functioning of instruments in the cockpit – ahead of mandatory periodic evaluations.
On June 12, a major tragedy struck the Indian airline industry.
It was less than a minute after Air India flight 171, bound for London, took off from Ahmedabad airport that it lost momentum and dropped from the sky, exploding into flames, killing 241 people on board and 19 on the ground.
So far, only a preliminary report into the crash by the Indian aviation authority has been released, which found that both switches that controlled fuel going into the engines were cut off just after take-off, causing the plane to fatally lose altitude. Focus has reportedly turned to the actions of the pilots, amid unanswered questions over whether the switches were moved manually or due to a faulty mechanism. The report did not recommend action against Boeing, the manufacturer of the plane, reported The Guardian.
In the weeks after the crash, Air India has faced growing scrutiny after attention has turned to its own recent alleged chequered safety record. Last week, the Indian government began holding direct meetings with senior Air India management, calling for better oversight on safety and engineering.
It came as India’s aviation watchdog issued four show-cause notices to the airline last week, citing 29 safety-related violations over the past year. These breaches include lapses in crew duty norms, fatigue management and training oversight. They were based on disclosures made by the airline itself, the London-based newspaper reported.
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