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Journalism of Courage
Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation has fined Tata Group’s no-frills carrier AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) Rs 20 lakh and suspended the airline’s head of training for three months for failing to conduct a few mandatory exercises during pilot proficiency and instrument rating checks.
Additionally, the DGCA has slapped a fine of Rs 3 lakh each on eight designated examiners of the airline, taking the total fine imposed on the carrier and its executives to Rs 44 lakh.
The airline is now mulling over filing an appeal against the DGCA order.
“A surveillance inspection of M/s Air Asia (India) Ltd was carried out by DGCA during 23.11.2022 to 25.11.2022. During the inspection, DGCA team observed that a few mandatory exercises of the pilots of M/s Air Asia (India) Ltd were not done during Pilot Proficiency Check/Instrument Rating check(which is an International Civil Aviation Organization requirement) as per schedule, resulting in violation of DGCA regulations,” the regulator said in a statement.
Following the inspection, the DGCA issued show-cause notices to the airline’s accountable manager, head of training, and all designated examiners asking why enforcement action should not be taken against them for “lack of oversight of their regulatory obligations”.
Of late, the aviation regulator has imposed financial penalties on various Indian airlines, which include IndiGo, Air India, Vistara, and Go First.
The Tata Group is in the process of merging AIX Connect with Air India Express, the low-cost arm of Air India.
Reacting to the development, an AIX Connect spokesperson said that the airline took immediate corrective action in coordination with the DGCA, and additional simulator training sessions were implemented to address the gap.
“Nonetheless, we are reviewing the DGCA order and are considering making an appeal as per available regulatory provisions,” the airline’s spokesperson.
According to the carrier, there is “no deviation from the safety margins” necessary for its operations.
“Additionally, we had already conducted these exercises as part of simulator training done beyond the mandated regulatory training requirements,” the carrier’s spokesperson said.
