DGCA penalised Air India Express for breaching airworthiness norms

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) took punitive action against senior officials of Air India Express for failing to comply with an airworthiness directive, Minister of State for Civil AviationMurlidhar Mohol informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

In a written reply, Mohol said, "During a surveillance inspection of Air India Express by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), it was found that Air India Express had not complied with the EASA Airworthiness Directive on the engines installed on the Airbus A320 aircraft."

The DGCA acted against the airline's Continuing Maintenance Manager, Quality Manager, and Accountable Manager under its Enforcement Policy and Procedure Manual.

The Quality Manager's approval was cancelled. The Continuing Maintenance Manager was issued a warning letter and fined Rs 1.5 lakh. The Accountable Manager was fined Rs 30 lakh.

The DGCA conducts both planned and surprise inspections of airlines and maintenance organisations. These include routine and periodic audits, spot checks, night surveillance, and ramp inspections.

The regulator also publishes an Annual Surveillance Plan on its website every year, which outlines its audit and inspection schedule as per its Regulatory Audit Procedure Manual.

Mohol added that it is the responsibility of each airline to follow Service Bulletins and Airworthiness Directives issued by the aircraft's country of design or manufacture to ensure the aircraft remains safe and airworthy.