Regulator warned Air India after flights with unchecked emergency gear: govt documents

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Official documents say that the Indian aviation regulator has warned Air India after violating its three airbus planes despite the Air India being obligated to check on emergency goods, and despite a slowdown in resolving the issue.

Warning Notices and Investigation Report-Both were reviewed by Reuters-in any way, Air India Boeing 787-8 was not related to the plane crash which killed everyone except one of the 242 people on the plane, and was sent a few days before the incident.

In the report, Directorate General Civil Aviation said that spot checks in three Air India Airbus aircraft found that they were conducted despite the mandatory examination of the “important emergency equipment” of the escaped slides.

In one case, Watchdog found that the Airbus A320 jet inspection on May 15 had delayed more than a month. Erno Radar data shows that during the delay, the aircraft left for international destinations like Dubai, Riyadh and Jeddah.

Another case, which includes Airbus A319 used on domestic routes, shows that the checks have been more than three months long, while a third showed that the inspection was delayed by two days.

The DGCA report states that “the aforementioned cases suggest that the plane’s expiry or operated with unverified emergency equipment, which is a violation of standard air capabilities and safety requirements.”

He added that for the shortcomings raised by the Air India DGCA, “failed to respond to timely compliance,” he added, “which gave evidence of more weak procedures and surveillance. “

Air India, which was handled by the Tata Group in 2022, said in a statement that it was “accelerating” all records of rehabilitation, including rehabilitation slides’ dates, and would complete the process in the coming days.

In one case, Air India said the matter came to light when an engineer of the AI ​​engineering services “inadvertently deployed the escape slides while care.”

DGCA and Airbus did not answer Reuters’ questions.

Checking the escaped slides is “a very serious problem. In the event of an accident, if they do not open, it can cause severe injuries,” said Wibhuti Singh, a former legal expert on the government’s plane crash.

The DGCA said in its report that the aerial strength certificates for the aircraft, which are mandatory, are “considered to be suspended”.

The documents state that the warning notices and the report were sent by Air Warthansins Deputy Director of Air Warthans in the Indian government, Anemish Garg, along with Air India CEO Campbell Wilson, as well as the airline’s permanent air capacity manager, quality manager and head of planning.

An Indian aviation lawyer said such violations usually attract monetary and urban penalties on both individual executives and airlines.

Wilson told Reuters last year that the global shortage was affecting most airlines, but for Air India, the problem was “more severe” because its “product is clearly a lot of history”, many aircraft were not refreshed because they were supplied in 2010-2011.

Systemic control failure

The Indian regulator, like many overseas, often fines airlines for compliance mistakes. In February, India’s junior aviation minister told Parliament that authorities had warned or fined airlines in 23 incidents last year for safety violations.

Half of these – 12 – included Air India and Air India Express, including “unauthorized admission to the cockpit”. The largest fine on Air India for “insufficient oxygen” on board during a San Francisco flight was 7 127,000.

Last week’s accident, which is still being investigated, will further challenge Air India’s efforts to rebuild its image, after criticizing passengers for poor services.

Air India Chairman Ann Chandrasidar told staff on Monday that the accident should be a catalyst to create a safe airline, urging employees to be committed to any criticism.

In its report, the DGCA also said that several airplanes checked by officials have been out of registration paperwork. Air India told Reuters that an aircraft complied with such needs, and “no effect” on safety.

The DGCA Investigation Report draws the airline for something that it has termed as “insufficient internal surveillance”.

“Despite previous information and identified flaws, the organization’s internal standards and planning departments failed to implement effective reform proceedings, which identified the failure of systematic control,” he said.