Air India Operated Flights With 'Non-Qualified' Pilots, Fined Rs 98 Lakh: DGCA

The Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has levied a fine of ₹98 lakh on Air India for operating flights with unqualified crew members, as announced by the aviation regulator.

Besides this, a fine of Rs 6 lakh was imposed on the director of operations, and Rs 3 lakh on the director of training at Air India.

The DGCA stated, "The concerned pilot has been warned to exercise caution to prevent such occurrences in the future." The incident involved Air India operating a flight with "a non-trainer line captain paired with a non-line-released first officer," which the regulator deemed a "serious scheduling incident having significant safety ramifications."

The issue came to light when Air India voluntarily reported the incident to the DGCA on July 10.

The subsequent investigation revealed deficiencies and multiple violations of regulatory provisions by several post holders and staff at Air India.