NEW DELHI – The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has warned Air India after discovering that two of its flights from Bangalore to London in May took longer than the allowed 10 hours. The DGCA gave the airline a show-cause notice on June 20 and said that the carrier’s explanation for the violation was “inadequate.”
A regular audit of flight AI133 on May 16 and 17 revealed the infractions. The DGCA’s letter from August 11 said that Campbell Wilson, the airline’s Accountable Manager, had not made sure that the rules in the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) were followed.
Air India’s answer and DGCA’s warning
Air India said on Wednesday that the problem with the two planes’ rosters happened because “a different interpretation of a permission that was granted to mitigate the border related airspace closure.” The airline’s spokeswoman said that the problem was “fixed right away after the right interpretation was given to us,” and that Air India “is still fully compliant with the rules.”
But the DGCA didn’t like this answer. The letter from the regulator said that the airline’s response was “unsatisfactory in addressing the regulatory lapses and deficiencies noted.” The DGCA has officially warned and told the Accountable Manager to “exercise utmost diligence and responsibility in ensuring strict compliance with the applicable Civil Aviation requirements” as a result.
The DGCA’s action reminds all airlines how important it is to follow safety and regulatory rules, especially when it comes to flight durations and crew duty limits.