India’s civil aviation watchdog has fined Air India $110,350 (approx.) ₹A penalty of Rs 1 crore has been imposed on an Airbus aircraft for flying it eight times without an airworthiness permit, a confidential order shows, adding that the lapse has further eroded public confidence in the country’s second-largest airline.
An Airbus A320 flew passengers between New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad on November 24 to 25 without a Mandatory Airworthiness Review Certificate or ARC, a key permit issued annually by the regulator after the aircraft passes safety and compliance checks.
Air India’s own internal investigation into the incident, which Reuters reported in December, found “systemic failures” with the airline, which also acknowledged there was an urgent need to improve the compliance culture at the carrier.
A confidential penalty order issued by Indian authorities to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson on February 5 said the incident had “further undermined public confidence and adversely affected the organization’s safety compliance.”
“The Accountable Manager on behalf of Air India has been found guilty of the above lapses,” Joint Director General of Civil Aviation Manish Kumar wrote in the order, referring to Wilson.
Air India did not respond to Reuters questions.
The airline has been asked to deposit 10 million Indian rupees, or $110,339, within 30 days.
Air India faced its biggest disaster when a Boeing Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff in June last year, killing 260 people.
Reuters has reported that the pilots have also been blamed in Air India’s investigation into the Airbus incident, which said that those who flew the eight flights did not follow standard operating procedures before takeoff.
Air India, owned by India’s Tata Group, and Singapore Airlines have also received warnings from the watchdog for operating planes without checking emergency equipment as well as other audit lapses.