Disciplinary Action
DGCA directs Air India to remove 3 officials over crew scheduling violations
This story was originally published at 15:24 IST on 21 June 2025
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MUMBAI/NEW DELHI – The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has directed Air India to take strict disciplinary measures against three company officials for "systemic failure in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring and internal accountability", the aviation regulator said in an order dated Jun. 20, which was reviewed by Informist.
The three officials identified by the DGCA are Choorah Singh, divisional vice president; Pinky Mittal, chief manager at the Directorate of Operations, crew scheduling; and Payal Arora, crew scheduling – planning division. The regulator has directed Air India to remove the above three officials from all roles and responsibilities related to crew scheduling and rostering. "Internal disciplinary proceedings must be initiated against these officials without delay, and the outcome of such proceedings shall be reported to this office within 10 days from the date of issue of this letter," the order said.
The DGCA said the above mentioned officials shall be reassigned to non-operational roles pending the conclusion of corrective reforms in scheduling practices. These officials shall not hold any position involving direct influence over flight safety and crew compliance until further notice, it added.
The lapses identified by the DGCA include unauthorised and non-compliant crew pairings, violation of mandatory licensing and recency norms, and systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversight. These violations, voluntarily disclosed by Air India, were discovered during the post-transition review from ARMS (Aviation Resource Management System) to the CAE Flight and Crew Management System.
The DGCA has warned the Tata group-owned airline that any future violation of crew scheduling norms, licensing, or flight time limitations detected in any post-audit or inspection will attract strict enforcement action, including but not limited to penalties, licence suspension, or withdrawal of operator permissions, as applicable.
"We acknowledge the regulator's directive and have implemented the Order. In the interim, the company's Chief Operations Officer will provide direct oversight to the Integrated Operations Control Centre. Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices," an Air India spokesperson told Informist.
The order comes days after an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, London, crashed seconds after takeoff, killing 241 passengers and crew. End
Reported by Shakshi Jain and Gopika Balasubramanium
Edited by Tanima Banerjee
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