The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposes a penalty of 1.10 crores on Air India
Air India has been fined 1.10 crore for violating safety measures by The Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The incident came into notice when a pilot refused to operate a non-stop Bengaluru to San Francisco flight. According to the pilot the flight lacked enough emergency oxygen on board. After the safety report from the employee, a comprehensive investigation has been performed.
The issued show cause notice
The show cause notice read, "The response to the show cause notice was duly examined with respect to the laid down stipulations under the relevant statutory provisions and the performance limits stipulated in critical documentations laid down by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Director General, DGCA, Vikram Dev Dutt said, "Since the said operations of the leased aircraft were not in line with regulatory/OEM performance limits, DGCA has initiated enforcement action and imposed a penalty of Rs. 1.10 crore on Air India."
What reasons did the Aviation Regulatory Bodies have given?
The Aviation watchdog said, "Pursuant to the receipt of a voluntary safety report from an airline employee alleging safety violations of flights operated by M/s Air India on certain long range terrain critical routes, DGCA conducted a comprehensive investigation into the alleged violations." The DGCA also stated that the safety violations took place on certain long range terrain critical routes that could not be ignored.
Not the first time Air India suffered a penalty!
This is not the first time Air India has shown carelessness and irresponsible behaviour, before this also Air India suffered from a penalty of 30 lakhs by The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for its poor preparations that led to fog delays.
Airline's disagreement with the penalty
On the other hand, the airline has disapproved the reason and has shown "disagreement" with the regulators order. An airline spokesperson gave clarification for the same saying, "We disagree with the order issued by the DGCA. The issues raised were thoroughly examined by Air India along with external experts concluding that there was no compromise on safety, whatsoever. We are studying the order in detail and will review the options available to us including our right to appeal as well as taking it up with the regulator."
Before this IndiGo was also slammed with a fine of 1.5 crore on January 17 by the Aviation Regulatory Bodies for violating safety measures at Mumbai Airport. Mumbai Airport officially known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport was also penalized 90 lakhs by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security where the passages sat in protest at the apron area showing their anger at the delayed flights. The DGCA had also imposed a fine of 30 lakhs, earlier in December 2023 on Air India and Spice Jet considering the complaints of cancellations, flight diversions and multiple delays. The delays were due to the insufficient pilots qualified to fly in low visibility in the month of December. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) issued a show cause notice to IndiGo and Mumbai airport in connection with a video viral on internet.
Al.g via WhatsApp: New feature introduced by Air India
Air India is the flagship international airline in India owned by Air India Limited, a Tata Group enterprise, headquartered in Gurugram. It is the second largest airline after IndiGo in India on the basis of passengers carried. It has recently launched Al.g, an Artificial Intelligence powered virtual travel assistant which is now also available on WhatsApp.
“By integrating Al.g with WhatsApp, we are fulfilling our promise to our customers. The convenience and immediacy of WhatsApp dovetail with our vision for customer service. Our goal is to be present where our guests are, offering them timely, pertinent support and information around the clock,” Air India explained.
Chief Customer Experience Officer at Air India, Mr. Rajesh Dogra boosts the enhancement of this new feature that will make effortless journeys. It is skilled in four languages -Hindi, English, French and German. It can be accessed through the WhatsApp number (+91) 96670 34444. This newly introduced feature has made the travelling experience smoother through which the passengers are provided with latest updates anytime anywhere.