Air India buying 100 more Airbus planes
Air India on Monday confirmed it has placed an order to purchase 100 more Airbus aircraft, comprising 10 widebody A350 and 90 narrowbody A320 aircraft, including A321neo.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has suspended Air India’s chief of flight safety in response to safety concerns within the carrier. The directorate suspended Captain Rajeev Gupta for a month after it conducted a comprehensive surveillance of the airline on July 25 and 26 and found serious deficiencies in various critical areas.
In a two-day surveillance, DGCA scrutinized key aspects, including internal audits, accident prevention efforts, and the availability of essential technical manpower. The findings raised significant concerns about Air India’s adherence to safety protocols and regulatory requirements.
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A major concern identified with the airlines was the inadequacy of accident-prevention measures. The DGCA noted that the organization fell short of ensuring comprehensive accident prevention work, which is pivotal in safeguarding passengers and flight operations.
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Shortage of the required technical manpower, a vital element in maintaining aviation safety standards, was another shortfall observed.
Air India was found to be lacking in the number of technical personnel needed as specified in the approved flight safety manual and relevant civil aviation requirements. The DGCA found fault with the internal audit and spot checks carried out by the airline, stating that some of these inspections were conducted in a token manner, failing to meet regulatory requirements.
Following this, the directorate reviewed Air India’s action-taken report and subsequently issued show-cause notices to the responsible post holders. After getting their replies, the DGCA, citing a lack of diligence, directed Air India not to assign any audit, surveillance or spot checks related to DGCA compliance to the auditor involved in the perfunctory inspections.
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