Air India Pulled Up By DGCA For Safety Lapses By Pilots, Given Two Weeks To Reply

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has issued a show-cause notice to Air India cockpit crew for operating multiple flights between Delhi and Tokyo despite being aware of serious safety and compliance lapses. The aviation regulator has sought an explanation from the pilots on the matter within two weeks.

The notice, issued on Dec. 29, 2025, pertains to several operations of flight AI-357 from Delhi to Tokyo and AI-358 from Tokyo to Delhi. The Minimum Equipment List (MEL) applicable to the aircraft was incompatible, according to DGCA.

The notice further states that this was not an isolated incident and that similar issues had been detected on other sectors in the past. The DGCA has also asked the pilots to explain why action should not be initiated against them under the Aircraft Rules and Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR).

Accordingly to news agency PTI, the aviation watchdog has issued the notice to Air India for operating a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner despite repetitive technical snags. The regulator flagged snags pertaining to Dreamliner VT-ANI.

Non-compliance with the MEL for the flight operated on June 28 this year has also been mentioned in the notice. DGCA has flagged that there were safety concerns related to aircraft dispatch, MEL compliance and flight crew decision-making during the operation of flights AI 258 and AI 357.

Meanwhile, an Air India pilot was detained at Vancouver airport in Canada on Christmas Eve after allegations that he smelled of alcohol before operating a long-haul international flight, according to media reports. The incident occurred on Dec. 23 and prompted immediate action by Canadian authorities, as well as internal probes by Air India and DGCA.

The pilot was scheduled to operate Air India flight AI186 from Vancouver to Delhi via Vienna, an ultra long-haul service operated using a Boeing 777 aircraft. Such flights require four pilots, operating in two rotating sets of captain and co-pilot, in line with strict duty-time and fatigue regulations.