DGCA issues Air Asia show cause notice over pilot's allegations of flouting safety rules

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show-cause notice to low-cost carrier Air Asia two weeks after launching an investigation over allegations of flouting safety rules raised by now suspended pilot Gaurav Taneja. The notice is said to have been sent to the Head of Flight Safety and Operations.

READ:l DGCA Launches Investigation After Pilot Gaurav Taneja Alleges Air Asia Flouts Safety Rules

DGCA issues show cause notice 

Air Asia spokesperson has confirmed the notice and reiterated the commitment to cooperate with the regulator during the investigation.

Earlier this month, Taneja, a pilot-cum-YouTuber, uploaded a video on this popular channel 'Flying Beast', where he accused the airline of not complying with safety guidelines established by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and other International Safety norms. Taneja documented his statement in a 27-minute video uploaded on his channel and has stated that he lost his job for regularly flagging the issues with the airline.

On June 15, DGCA announced that it had launched an investigation into all claims made by regarding all safety aspects which have allegedly been ignored by the airline and will be taking appropriate action as per the findings of the investigation. 

READ: DGCA Extends Suspension Of International Passenger Flight Operations Till July 15

In the video, Taneja mentioned that the airline's sick leave policy is such that it indirectly forces the pilots to work even if he or she is not healthy and is under some kind of physical distress - in effect compromising the ability to fly the airplane and thus putting the lives of the passengers at risk. Taneja added that he raised the loophole regarding the leave policy multiple times, but they were brushed aside by the management. Taneja went on to claim that it was done in order to help the airline save money via employee leaves. 

Raising the second lapse in safety, Taneja stated that he had raised issues after certain rules set by the regulatory body were not followed and although he had personally intervened to resolve them, no action had been taken after multiple attempts had been made.

Taneja stated that he decided to not fly a plane as scheduled on March 24 due to lack of enough safety operations and ended up receiving a show-cause notice by the airline which listed multiple complaints against him. 

The pilot later received a mail from the airline questioning a video which he had uploaded wherein he spoke about the financial burden faced by him and his family due to the lockdown and the salary cuts. 

READ: COVID-19 Effect: DGCA Issues New Rules For Airlines On Handling Unruly Flyers On Board

The third issue raised by Taneja was regarding the landing technique implemented during in the month of March, which was not in line with the company's policy. Taneja alleged the airline has asked its pilots to do 98% of landings in "Flap 3" mode, which allows it to save fuel. He said if a pilot does not do 98% of landings in "Flap 3" mode, the airline considers it a violation of its standard operating procedure (SOP). Flaps are part of wings of an aircraft and they are engaged to create a drag during a landing or a take off.

Taneja uploaded the video on June 14 and it has garnered more than five million views. Soon after the video was uploaded, 'BoycottAirAsia' was trending on the internet in support of Taneja.

Taneja's channel has 3.1 million subscribers and each video gets more than millions of views, with his last 79 videos crossing the million mark.

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