Tata Group-owned budget airline AirAsia India was on Saturday fined Rs 20 lakh by aviation safety regulator DGCA for flouting certain norms related to pilot training. Eight Designated Examiners (DEs) besides imposing a fine of Rs. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also ordered the airline’s head of training to be suspended for a period of three months, in lieu of Rs three lakh.
PTI had reported on January 23 that AirAsia India allegedly violated aviation norms with regard to pilot proficiency checks and instrument rating tests and was likely to face enforcement action from the safety regulator.
Read also: DigiYatra App Update: How To Upload Boarding Pass Before Flight – Step-by-Step Guide
This is the third enforcement action against a Tata Group airline in more than a month. AirAsia India said in a statement that it is reviewing the DGCA order and considering an appeal against it.
“We acknowledge that a finding related to the pilots’ training exercise was noticed by the DGCA after the main base inspection in November 2022. Immediate corrective action was taken in coordination with the DGCA and additional simulator training sessions were conducted to address the gap. were implemented,” an AirAsia spokesperson said in the statement.
The enforcement action came after a surveillance inspection conducted by the DGCA on the airline during November 23-25 last year and subsequent show-cause notices to the airline, its training head and all DEs.
During the inspection, the DGCA team observed that certain mandatory drills of pilots of Air Asia (India) Limited during Pilot Proficiency Check/Instrument Rating Check (which is an International Civil Aviation Organization requirement) were not carried out as per schedule, resulting in The violation occurred as per DGCA rules, the DGCA said in a statement.
The DGCA issued show-cause notices to the Accountable Manager, Head of Training and all designated examiners of the airline as to “why enforcement action should not be taken against them for lack of oversight of their regulatory obligations”.
“The written replies of the Accountable Manager, Head of Training and all the designated examiners have been examined…Accordingly, a financial penalty of Rs 20,00,000 has been imposed on AirAsia (India) Limited for violation of the applicable DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR)” . ),” it said.
According to the statement, the DGCA has also directed the airline to “withdraw” the head of training from his post for a period of three months, for failing to discharge his duties as per the applicable DGCA CAR.
“A financial penalty of Rs 3,00,000 (imposed) each has been imposed on eight designated examiners of AirAsia (India) for failing to discharge their duties as per DGCA civil aviation requirements,” the DGCA said in the statement. ”
An AirAsia spokesperson said the airline has already conducted mandatory exercises for pilots as part of a simulator training carried out beyond mandatory regulatory training requirements.
AirAsia India said, “We wish to reiterate that there is no deviation from the safety margin required for our operations. Nonetheless, we are reviewing the DGCA order and considering an appeal as per available regulatory provisions.” ”
with PTI inputs