Days after a recent plane crash involving an Air India flight, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken swift action to address safety lapses within the airline. On Friday, the DGCA ordered the removal of three senior officials from crew scheduling responsibilities due to repeated violations of regulatory norms and serious lapses in operational oversight.
The officials identified in the directive are Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice President; Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager – DOPS, Crew Scheduling; and Payal Arora, responsible for Crew Scheduling – Planning. These individuals were found to be involved in unauthorised crew pairings, breaches of crew licensing norms, and violations of rest period regulations, all of which are crucial factors in ensuring aviation safety.
In response to the DGCA’s order, Air India has been instructed to immediately remove these officials from any role related to crew operations and reassign them to non-operational positions. The airline has also been directed to initiate internal disciplinary proceedings against the individuals and report the outcome to the DGCA within 10 days.
The DGCA has made it clear that the officials will not be allowed to assume any position that has direct influence over flight safety or crew compliance until corrective reforms in Air India’s scheduling practices are fully implemented. The safety violations were discovered during a post-transition audit of the airline’s crew management systems, specifically during the switch from the ARMS platform to the CAE Flight and Crew Management System.
This action by the DGCA highlights the importance of upholding safety standards in the aviation industry and holding individuals accountable for any lapses that could compromise the safety of passengers and crew. Air India will need to address these issues promptly and ensure that proper safety protocols are followed to prevent any future incidents.
