Air India: Pilot oversight breaches as airline warned for ‘serious violations’ after crash that killed 241

Following a deadly crash that killed 241 people, Air India has been put on notice, forced to take multiple key officials from the airline off the roster, as a peak investigative body found it was in serious breach of regulations.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced this week that it had discovered “repeated and serious violations” regarding pilot and crew scheduling.

A divisional vice-president, a chief manager of crew scheduling, and a planning executive have all been removed from any rostering responsibilities, and the airline’s owner, the Tata Group, has been told to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the three immediately.

In a recent statement, the DGCA was scathing about rostering expectations for pilots and crew that fell outside the safety guidelines.

The report highlighted concern over “repeated and serious violations voluntarily disclosed by Air India concerning flight crew being scheduled and operated despite lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements”.

“Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible,” the report published in The Independent said.

On at least two separate occasions, pilots flying Air India passenger jets had exceeded the 10-hour on-duty flight time maximum, which was only discovered during a review after the airline transitioned to a new rostering and scheduling software system.

“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,” Air India said in a statement.

The crash scene is still under investigation, and funerals are being arranged after Air India flight 171 to London’s Gatwick airport slammed into a local training hospital in Ahmedabad moments after takeoff, killing all but one of the 242 passengers and crew on June 12.

The ill-fated flight climbed into the sky after leaving Ahmedabad Airport, but was only airborne for around 32 seconds before the Boeing Dreamliner dropped and crashed, exploding into a massive fireball.

A British passenger was the lone survivor after he climbed clear and walked away from the wreckage.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old man, was rescued from seat 11A and was found wandering a nearby street, before trying to reurn to the site in a frantic bid to find his brother who was sitting in a different part of the plane and had died .

“We regret to inform that, of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities. The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital,” Air India announced soon after the crash.

New agency Reuters have been reporting that Air India has also been under scrutiny for failing to perform regukar checks on safety equipment, including escape slides.

The DGCA has also imposed bans on many Air India flights since the crash and the company has been ordered to perform immediate and stringent safety checks on all aircraft in its fleet.