The aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) took action against two Air India pilots and grounded them for allowing a female friend inside the cockpit of the aircraft. The action came after an investigation and a report by Air India to the DGCA. Notably, this is the second such incident onboard an Air India flight, as last month the DGCA slapped a ₹30 lakh fine on Air India for not reporting a similar incident.
The norms dictate that the entry of unauthorised persons is barred in the cockpit. “We have received the report (into the incident) and completed our investigation. The pilots have been grounded,” the DGCA official said.
Without mentioning the details of the incident, Air India said: “Such breaches are dealt with on a serious basis, and sanctions will be imposed on those who are in breach of the regulations”.
Zero Tolerance
Air India spokesperson affirmed that the airline has zero tolerance for deliberate breaches of regulations.
“Air India has a Just culture approach to all safety-related events and has zero tolerance for deliberate breaches of regulations,” an Air India spokesperson said in the statement without mentioning information about the incident.
“Such breaches are dealt with on a serious basis, and sanctions will be imposed on those who are in breach of the regulations,” the spokesperson added.
The previous action against Air India came over the incident in its Delhi-Dubai flight and the DGCA also suspended the license of the pilot for three months while the co-pilot was warned of not being assertive enough to prevent the violation of norms.
The aviation regulator also asked Air India to take action against “Staff On Duty (SOD)/passenger, including removal from any managerial functions in the organization for a specified period”.
This is the third time in the last four months that the Tata Group airline was punished by the DGCA.
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Updated: 13 Jun 2023, 09:52 PM IST