New Delhi, Jan 24 (FN Agency) Air India has been fined over a crore over safety-related violations on flights operated on certain long-range terrain critical routes, the country’s aviation regulator said today. The case pertains to a pilot refusing to operate a non-stop Bengaluru-San Francisco flight that didn’t have enough emergency oxygen on board, said sources. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said it opened a probe after an airline employee voluntarily flagged the violations. The probe revealed “non-compliance by the airline”, prompting a show cause notice to the airline, and ultimately the penalty.
“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 watchdog said. Based on the airline’s response to its notice, the DGCA imposed ₹ 1.1 crore fine on Air India. “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 ₹ 1.10 crore on M/s Air India,” read the press note. This is the second time in a week that Air India faced penalties by the DGCA. Last Thursday, Air India was fined ₹ 30 lakh for poor preparedness leading to fog delays.