NEW DELHI — Several Air India personnel have been removed from duty after a 164-seat Airbus A320 was allowed to operate eight commercial flights in November despite an expired airworthiness review certificate, India’s aviation regulator said Tuesday.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said it has opened a formal investigation into the lapse and ordered the grounding of the aircraft. The regulator added that Air India executives linked to the oversight have been de-rostered until the inquiry is complete.
“The Airworthiness Review Certificate process is in progress. Concerned personnel have been de-rostered with immediate effect pending investigation,” the DGCA said. “Air India, on the instructions of the DGCA, is carrying out an internal investigation to identify deficiencies in their system and put corrective measures in place.”
Under aviation rules, the Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation within Air India is responsible for issuing the annual Airworthiness Review Certificate, which maintains the validity of an aircraft’s primary Certificate of Airworthiness. The DGCA said an ARC is granted only after a complete review of maintenance records, a physical inspection and verification that all safety standards have been met.
The regulator noted that after Vistara’s merger into Air India in 2024, it decided to personally handle the first post-merger ARC renewals for all 70 Vistara aircraft. Sixty-nine of those aircraft have already received renewed ARC certificates after meeting DGCA requirements.
For the 70th aircraft, the DGCA said Air India applied for renewal, but the aircraft was subsequently grounded for an engine change. The ARC expired during that period. Despite this, the aircraft was returned to service following the engine replacement and went on to operate eight flights between November 24 and 25.
Air India reported the lapse to the DGCA on November 26 after the aircraft had flown “eight revenue sectors.”
Air India on Tuesday called the incident “regrettable” and said it has launched a detailed internal probe.
“As soon as the incident came to our notice, it was duly reported to the DGCA and all personnel associated with the decision have been placed under suspension,” an airline spokesperson said. “We remain unwavering in our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of operational integrity and safety.”
The airline added that any deviation from mandated compliance procedures is “unacceptable to the organisation.”
The regulatory scrutiny comes months after a deadly crash on June 12 involving a London-bound Air India flight that went down shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 241 people on board and leaving dozens injured on the ground. (Source: IANS)
