India

Air India in Hot Water After Deadly Crash Triggers DGCA Crackdown on Crew Violations

After 280 deaths in Ahmedabad crash, DGCA uncovers widespread lapses in Air India’s pilot rostering and safety checks, leading to suspensions and show-cause notices.

Ahmedabad, June 21: Just ten days after a fiery crash gutted a student hostel and turned a Boeing 787 into a twisted carcass in the heart of Ahmedabad, the spotlight has shifted squarely onto the people who were supposed to keep the skies safe. And let’s be honest — the cracks go far deeper than anyone expected.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which rarely throws its weight around this visibly, has done just that. They’ve slapped Air India with multiple warnings, ordered heads to roll, and called out what they’re describing as “serious and repeated” violations in how the airline handles its cockpit crews. That’s code for: things have been out of control for a while.

Crew Flying Beyond Legal Hours, Officials Suspended

Here’s what’s got everyone talking in aviation circles: on two long-haul flights — Bengaluru to London, on May 16 and 17 — Air India reportedly let their pilots fly beyond the 10-hour limit set by the rules. That’s not just a small clerical error. We’re talking about people flying high-pressure international sectors without the legal amount of rest. In any other industry, that’s reckless. In aviation, it’s potentially deadly.

So, the DGCA acted. Three senior folks from the scheduling team — Choorah Singh, Pinky Mittal, and Payal Arora — were yanked out of their positions. Not transferred. Not warned. Removed. And the airline has ten days to take formal disciplinary action. That sort of direct intervention? Almost unheard of in Indian aviation.

Digital Upgrade or Digital Disaster?

Irony has its own timing. Just before these lapses started surfacing, Air India had made a tech leap — dumping its old ARMS system for a swanky new CAE crew management platform. Big money, big promises. But ask anyone who’s worked operations during a system switch — things get messy. Add India’s chaotic flight schedules, crew shortages, and union tensions to that, and you’ve got a powder keg.

The problem isn’t just tech. It’s the mindset, as many insiders will tell you off the record. Rostering has long been run like a jugaad shop in many airlines — human memory, scribbled notes, late-night phone calls to fill gaps. The system was always shaky. Only now, after a plane fell out of the sky, is it finally being questioned.

Ground Reality: No More Business-As-Usual

The AI-171 crash, which killed 280 people — including hostel residents who had nothing to do with the flight — has become a national wound. And people here in Ahmedabad aren’t buying polished statements from Delhi. Families are grieving. Locals are still digging through debris. And when they hear that the airline operating that doomed flight couldn’t even follow basic crew rostering laws? That’s when sympathy turns to anger.

Inside Air India, the mood is tense. Sources say there’s fear of a bigger regulatory freeze. Already, the DGCA has flagged three Airbus planes flying without proper emergency slide checks — stuff that should be basic maintenance 101. Now, the CEO Campbell Wilson has been issued a show-cause notice — a move that puts direct heat on the top brass.

Tata’s Grand Dream Now in Serious Trouble

Let’s not forget — Air India was supposed to be Tata’s aviation comeback. When they took over in 2022, there was buzz about restoring its old glory. New planes were ordered. Foreign talent was hired. Cabin crew were sent for re-training. But behind all that PR, cracks were growing. The airline’s been fined multiple times over the last year — including for operating international flights with low oxygen supplies. That’s no small slip.

So now, the DGCA’s message is loud: Fix your house or risk a grounding. And for an airline trying to claw back its legacy, being grounded even temporarily is a death sentence — not just financially, but in the public eye.

Not Just Numbers. Real Lives.

What’s hardest to stomach for people on the ground — here in Ahmedabad, in air traffic control rooms, in airline offices — is that this wasn’t inevitable. Had the right crew been rostered, had proper checks been followed, had officials not turned a blind eye — those passengers, those students, might still be alive.

Now, as rescue teams wrap up and compensation talks begin, the question hanging in the air isn’t just what caused the crash. It’s who allowed this mess to build up for so long?

And whether the answers ever reach those who lost the most.


Stay informed with Hindustan Herald—your go-to source for Politics, Business, Sports, Entertainment, Lifestyle & more.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and join our Telegram channel @hindustanherald

Author Profile
Juneja

Ravi Juneja is a student journalist currently pursuing his degree from Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication. With a passion for factual reporting and public interest stories, he covers a wide spectrum of news at Hindustan Herald, including politics, health, technology, entertainment, and global affairs. Ravi is committed to delivering balanced, research-backed journalism with a strong sense of responsibility and independence.

Source
Economic Times Reuters LiveMint

Related Articles

Back to top button