The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a stern warning to the CEO of Air India regarding violations of pilot duty regulations. The DGCA has cautioned Air India’s CEO and Accountable Manager, Campbell Wilson, for misusing exemptions granted concerning pilot duty hours and for providing unsatisfactory explanations. This action stems from the airline’s deviation from established flight duty time limitations (FDTL) protocols.
Following Pakistan’s closure of its airspace, the airline was granted a temporary exemption on cockpit crew duty hours, valid until April 2025. However, this exemption was specifically intended for airlines traversing Pakistani airspace only.
The DGCA sent a letter to the airline on August 11th, explicitly warning the Accountable Manager of Air India Limited. The letter stressed the importance of strictly adhering to civil aviation requirements (CAR) and fulfilling their responsibilities.
The violations pertain to two flights from Bengaluru to London on May 16th and 17th. Investigations revealed that both flights exceeded the maximum 10-hour duty limit for pilots under the standard CAR. Furthermore, the number of cockpit crew members on these flights was reduced from three to two. These exemptions were applicable only to flights using Pakistani airspace, not other international flights.
On June 20th, the DGCA had already issued a show-cause notice to Air India regarding these flights, seeking clarification on why action should not be taken against them for violating FDTL. An Air India spokesperson stated that the airline had received the DGCA’s letter. The spokesperson clarified that the issue concerned the scheduling of the two flights in May. The spokesperson attributed the problems to a misunderstanding of the permissions granted after the closure of Pakistani airspace. The spokesperson confirmed that the matter has been rectified with a better understanding of the rules and that Air India is now fully compliant.