By Aviation Nexus
July 24–25, 2025 — India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has issued at least four show-cause notices to Air India over major safety violations involving pilot rest requirements, training protocols, and crew deployment. Internal documents cited by The Economic Times and Reuters reveal 29 breaches across these critical areas, raising concerns over systemic operational failures within the airline .
🚨 Regulatory Concerns Detailed by DGCA
According to government notices dated July 23, 2025, DGCA flagged the following breaches:
- Pilot Rest Norm Violations: Instances of inadequate weekly rest for pilots, including breaches in both 2024 and June 2025 .
- Training Compliance Failures
- Pilots who completed simulator training did not fly within mandated timeframes, invalidating the training.
- At least one pilot operated a high-risk flight—specifically, from Kathmandu—without required high-altitude table-top runway simulation training .
- Cabin Crew Shortfall on Ultra-Long Flights:
- Four flights in April–May operated with fewer than the mandatory 15 cabin crew members, including two with only 12 crew members, compromising fatigue risk management and safety compliance.
🧩 Background & Broader Context
These enforcement actions follow a troubling track record:
- In March 2024, the DGCA imposed a ₹80 lakh fine for Air India’s failure to ensure adequate rest before and after ultra-long-range flights, overlapping duties, exceeding flight duty time limits, and using pilots over age 60 together in the cockpit—violations of critical Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) and Fatigue Management System (FMS) norms .
- In January 2025, another penalty of ₹30 lakh was levied after a first officer operated a flight without completing the mandatory three take-off and landing recency requirement within 90 days .
- On June 20, 2025, DGCA ordered the removal of three senior rostering officials from operational roles due to repeated scheduling errors and violations involving rest and recency norms following a transition to a new crew management system .
⚠️ DGCA Notices Signal Systemic Breakdown
Recent warnings describe “repeated and serious violations” indicative of entrenched systemic issues in training governance, crew planning, and oversight — despite Air India’s acquisition and modernization efforts under the Tata Group .
DGCA has formally cautioned that non-compliance with rostering, licensing, or flight time norms may result in punitive actions, including fines, suspension of key officials, or even revoking operating licenses .
