DGCA issues showcause notice to Air India over inconvenience faced by passengers

Air India has been issued a show cause by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation due to their failure to provide adequate protection to passengers who experienced flight disruptions. This action has been taken within a year of the airline being fined ₹10 lakh for violating regulations.

The DGCA has been conducting regular inspections of scheduled domestic airlines at major airports since May 2023 to ensure compliance with passenger-centric CARS. During these inspections, it was noted that Air India was not adhering to the provisions of the relevant CAR. Consequently, a show cause notice has been sent to Air India, requesting their response regarding their failure to comply with the CAR provisions.

The development has occurred shortly after the civil aviation ministry and the DGCA initiated an investigation into a complaint lodged against Air India by a former senior pilot.

According to sources cited in a recent PTI report, a pilot has raised concerns about Air India’s operation of Boeing 777 planes to the US without the necessary emergency oxygen supply system. The former commander of the B777 fleet has alleged that the airline has been using leased aircraft equipped with a chemically-generated oxygen system that only lasts for approximately 12 minutes. He has argued that this system is inadequate for the airline’s direct flights to and from San Francisco.

The aviation regulatory body has additionally suggested modifications to the regulations overseeing crew duty schedules, which involve allocating more time for pilots to rest. This matter gained prominence in recent weeks after the unfortunate incident of an IndiGo pilot collapsing and subsequently passing away at the boarding gate of Nagpur airport.