Published 13:10 IST, June 17th 2020
DGCA launches investigation after pilot Gaurav Taneja alleges Air Asia flouts safety rules
The aviation regulator stated that it has launched an investigation in all claims made by regarding all safety aspects which have been ignored by the airline.
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Air Asia is in troubled waters after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has acknowledged allegations made by Youtuber Gaurav Taneja, aka Flying Beast, who has accused the airline of not complying with safety guidelines established by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and other International Safety norms. Taneja, a Delhi based pilot, has documented his statement in a 27-minute video uploaded on his YouTube channel and has stated that he lost his job for regularly flagging the issues with the airline.
Pilot says airline does not follow safety guidelines
DGCA has taken note of the concerns raised by some stakeholders against a particular Airline and its approach to safety. DGCA has already started an investigation into the issues flagged and shall take appropriate action based on the outcome of the said investigation.
— DGCA (@DGCAIndia) June 15, 2020
The aviation regulator stated that it has launched an investigation in 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.
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.
Today I have been officially suspended from @AirAsiaIndian for standing up for safe operations of an aircraft and its passengers.@AwakenIndia #SabkeLiye
— Gaurav Taneja (@flyingbeast320) June 14, 2020
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.
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 four million views. DGCA took cognisance of the issue and announced about the investigation on June 15. Soon after the video was uploaded, 'BoycottAirAsia' was trending on the internet in support of Taneja.
Taneja's channel Flying Beast has 2.94 million subscribers and each video gets more than millions of views, with his last 79 videos crossing the mark.
The airline has stated that it follows all safety procedures and that it is currently cooperating with DGCA on the issue.
13:10 IST, June 17th 2020