Akasa Air Gets DGCA Warning Over Lapses In Dangerous Goods Handling

 The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has issued a warning letter to Akasa Air, citing violations in the carriage of dangerous goods.

During an inspection on Dec. 12, 2024, in Ahmedabad, the aviation safety regulator identified "significant" non-compliances, including electronic devices containing lithium batteries being accepted without proper checks or verification of battery power, shipments of these batteries exceeding weight limits for passenger aircraft, as well as missing shipper details. These lapses are in violation of the Aircraft (Carriage of Dangerous Goods) Rules, 2003, the letter dated Jan. 9, 2025, stated.

Akasa Air is yet to respond to NDTV Profit's queries on this latest regulatory action.

Following the findings, Akasa submitted an action report to the DGCA on Dec. 20 and 23, acknowledging the violations. The airline has taken some "corrective actions by issuing circulars to the trade partners (cargo agents) and staff to reiterate compliance with regulation and issuing caution letters to the cargo acceptance staff," the letter stated.

However, the DGCA has cautioned Akasa to enhance vigilance regarding regulatory compliance for dangerous goods transport. The airline has also been asked to conduct internal audits at all cargo acceptance and handling facilities and submit a report within 30 days of receiving the warning letter.

Akasa, one of India’s youngest airlines, backed by the Rakesh Jhunjhunwala family, has been flying through turbulence for quite some time now.

On Dec. 27, the DGCA suspended two senior Akasa Air executives—Director of Training Niraj Bhatia and Director of Flight Operations Floyd Gracious—for six months for improperly training pilots. In the same month, the regulator imposed a Rs 10 lakh fine on the airline for not compensating seven passengers who were denied boarding on a Bengaluru-Pune flight. The DGCA also slapped two show-cause notices on Akasa Air in December, one over alleged non-compliance with operations manual norms and the other over poor maintenance standards and certification and other lapses. Additionally, in October, the DGCA had imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Akasa Air for lapses in pilot training. 

Akasa Air, which started operating commercial flights in August 2022, has 26 planes in its fleet. The budget carrier, which flies to 27 destinations, including five international cities, had a domestic market share of 4.7% in November. It has around 4,300 employees, including about 800 pilots.