Air India fined Rs 1.1 crore for safety violations on long routes
The airline said that it disagrees with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation order and is reviewing its options, including the right to appeal.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has imposed a penalty of Rs 1.1 crore on Air India for safety violations on long routes, reported Mint on Wednesday.
The civil aviation regulator said that the action follows a “comprehensive investigation” that it had initiated after receiving a complaint from an employee of the airline.
Citing unidentified officials, The Indian Express reported that a former Air India pilot who had served as a Boeing 777 commander had complained to the civil aviation regulator that the airline operated the aircraft without adequate emergency oxygen supply for some flights on the United States-India route.
Following this, the regulator issued a show cause notice to the accountable manager of the airline.
“The response to the show cause notice was duly examined with respect to the laid down stipulations under the relevant statutory provisions and the performance limits stipulated in critical documentations laid down by the original equipment manufacturer,” said the regulator.
As the operations of the airline were found to be “not in line with regulatory norms as well as the performance limits suggested by the aircraft manufacturer” the regulator imposed a penalty on Air India.
On the regulator’s actions, an Air India spokesperson said that the airline disagreed with the order, reported ANI.
“The issues raised were thoroughly examined by Air India along with external experts concluding that there was no compromise on safety, whatsoever,” said the spokesperson. “We are studying the order in detail and will review the options available to us including our right to appeal as well as taking it up with the regulator.”
Last week, the airline was fined Rs 30 lakh for flouting fog-preparedness rules. The aviation regulator had said that Air India failed to roster pilots who were trained for flying in low visibility conditions.
In November, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Air India for not complying with the rules on facilities that are required to be provided to passengers.