Air India Faces Rigorous Safety Checks As 10-Member DGCA Team Kicks Off Annual Audit

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is set to undertake a detailed review of Air India, with a 10-member team scheduled to visit the airline’s headquarters in Gurugram on Tuesday. The three-day audit will run from June 24 to 26, said a top government official.

The audit aims to assess the airline’s fleet airworthiness and operational compliance.

During the inspection, the DGCA officials will inspect aircraft maintenance records, crew training documentation, flight scheduling, pilot duty hours, cabin safety norms, among other operational and safety parameters. They will also review all audit documents since 2024 and evaluate Air India’s compliance to notices served in the past.

The audit, however, is a routine surveillance and not connected to the recent Ahmedabad plane crash. The regulator conducts this annual surveillance program for all commercial airlines operating in the country.

The review of Air India's Gurugram facility, meanwhile, comes amidst increased regulatory focus on the airline due to safety and operational concerns, following the fatal crash of the Air India 171 - Boeing 787 aircraft on June 12 that killed at least 275 people.

Air India has also been scaling back its international and domestic flights due to technical snags and intensified safety audits mandated by the DGCA following the crash.

Last week, the DGCA directed Air India to rectify repeated safety violations, including the removal of the head of operations control centre and two senior staff members, for lapses related to pilot rest and duty norms. The regulator described these issues as “systemic failures” and warned that further violations could result in serious actions, including suspension of the airline’s license.