Hyderabad: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a stern order against Air India following serious and repeated violations in crew scheduling practices. The lapses, voluntarily disclosed by the airline during a post-transition review from ARMS to the CAE Flight and Crew Management System, revealed systemic failures in compliance with licensing, rest, and recency requirements for flight crew.The DGCA highlighted unauthorized crew pairings, violations of mandatory licensing norms, and inadequate oversight in scheduling protocols. Despite Air India’s voluntary disclosure, the regulator expressed concern over the lack of strict disciplinary action against responsible officials, identifying three key personnel Choorah Singh (Divisional Vice President), Pinky Mittal (Chief Manager-DOPS, Crew Scheduling), and Payal Arora (Crew Scheduling – Planning) as directly accountable for the non-compliance.In response, the DGCA has directed Air India to immediately remove these officials from all crew scheduling and rostering responsibilities and reassign them to non-operational roles. The airline has also been ordered to initiate internal disciplinary proceedings against the trio, with a report on the outcome due within 10 days. The officials are barred from holding positions influencing flight safety or crew compliance until further notice.The DGCA has warned that any future violations detected during audits or inspections could lead to severe penalties, including license suspensions or withdrawal of operator permissions.
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