The aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has ordered immediate action against three senior officials of Air India following “serious and repeated violations” related to flight crew scheduling.
It is important to note that none of these suspensions are related to the AI171 crash.
The DGCA on June 21, directed the airline to remove three officials, including a senior flight operations official, for “systemic failure in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring and internal accountability”.
The officials named are Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice President; Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager – DOPS, Crew Scheduling; and Payal Arora, Crew Scheduling – Planning.
According to the DGCA order, these individuals were involved in multiple lapses, including unauthorised and non-compliant crew pairings, violations of licensing and crew rest norms and systemic failures in oversight.
These lapses, voluntarily disclosed by the airline, revealed that flight crew were scheduled and operated despite not meeting mandatory licensing, rest and recency norms. The violations were uncovered during a post-transition review from the ARMS (Aviation Resource Management System—an integrated system airlines use for crew management) to the CAE Flight and Crew Management System.
“Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible for these operational lapses,” the order said.
The following directions were issued by the regulator with immediate effect:
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M/s Air India is directed to remove the above-mentioned officials from all roles and responsibilities related to crew scheduling and rostering.
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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.
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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.
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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.
“We acknowledge the regulator’s directive and have implemented the order. In the interim, the company’s Chief Operations Officer will provide direct oversight to the Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC). Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices,” an Air India spokesperson said.
