An Air Asia plane was “grounded” on a runway in Pune on Sunday after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found a “burst” in one of the tyres, according to officials. The aviation regulator informed that after the discovery of parts of the tire tread on the Bengaluru runway from where it was taxed, the flight to Pune was inspected on the said runway.
The DGCA said that a crack was found in the sidewall of the number 3 tire during the inspection at Pune, adding that the flight has been grounded further. Further details are awaited.
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Earlier, AirAsia India got into trouble with the aviation watchdog for lapses in pilot training. Tata Group-owned low-cost carrier AirAsia India was on Saturday fined Rs 20 lakh by aviation safety watchdog DGCA for violating certain pilot training rules. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also ordered the airline’s head of training to be sacked from his post for a period of three months, besides imposing fine on eight designated examiners (DEs). 3 lakh each.
On 23 January, PTI reported that AirAsia India may be subject to enforcement action from security authorities due to allegations of violating aviation standards in relation to pilot competency checks and instrument rating exams.
In more than a month, this was the third enforcement action against the Tata group carrier. AirAsia India said in a statement that it is evaluating the DGCA’s decision and considering an appeal.
The enforcement action followed a surveillance investigation of the airline by the DGCA between 23 and 25 November 2013 and subsequent show cause notices to the airline, its head of training and all DEs.
An AirAsia spokesperson claimed that the airline already required pilots to participate in exercises as part of simulator training that went above and beyond minimum regulatory training requirements.
(With ANI inputs)