BREAKING: Air India Fined Rs1.10 Crore by DGCA For Safety Violations

New Delhi: Amid a series of incidents of flight irregularities, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation  (DGCA) has imposed a fine of  ₹1.10 crore on Air India for safety violations related to flights operated on certain long-range routes. “DGCA has initiated enforcement action and imposed a penalty of Rs 1.10 crore on Air India over allegations of safety violations of flights operated by Air India on certain long-range terrain critical routes”, DGCA said in a statement. 

Earlier last week, aviation regulators BCAS and DGCA had slapped penalties totalling Rs 2.70 crore on IndiGo, Mumbai airport operator MIAL, Air India and SpiceJet for various violations. Days after a video of IndiGo passengers having food on the Mumbai airport tarmac was widely shared, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) slapped fines of Rs 1.20 crore on the airline and Rs 60 lakh on MIAL. At the same time, DGCA imposed a penalty of Rs 30 lakh on the airport operator, according to separate orders.

Separately, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) slapped a penalty of Rs 30 lakh each on Air India and SpiceJet for their failure to comply with the rostering of pilots for operating flights in low visibility conditions.

The penal action came more than two weeks after significant flight disruptions were witnessed at the Delhi airport due to dense fog that had resulted in low visibility conditions.

It is rare for the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and DGCA to impose huge penalties on airlines and an airport operator in a single day, and it also comes against the backdrop of various measures taken in recent days to minimise fog-related disruptions at Delhi and other airports. On January 14, many passengers rushed out of an IndiGo aircraft at the Mumbai airport, and sat on the tarmac, and some were also seen having food there as soon as their diverted Goa-Delhi flight landed after a long delay.