The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation regulator, identified 51 safety lapses at Air India during its July 2025 audit. The report highlighted critical issues such as the use of unapproved flight simulators, inadequate pilot training programs, and inefficient crew rostering systems, among others.
While not linked to the recent Boeing 787 crash that killed 260 passengers in Ahmedabad, the DGCA’s audit highlights growing safety concerns. Air India also faces warnings over equipment checks, overdue engine part replacements, forged records, and crew fatigue issues.
The DGCA's 11-page confidential report uncovered seven major safety breaches at Air India requiring immediate rectification by July 30, alongside 44 additional issues to be addressed by August 23. Key concerns include the use of unapproved flight simulators and significant training deficiencies.
Officials found 'recurrent training gaps' among some Boeing 787 and 777 pilots who failed to complete required monitoring duties before mandatory periodic evaluations, raising safety concerns.
Air India’s fleet includes 34 Boeing 787 and 23 Boeing 777 aircraft. The DGCA audit also flagged operational risks, noting improper route assessments for Category C airports with challenging terrain. Training was conducted using simulators that failed to meet qualification standards, raising serious safety concerns for pilot preparedness.
The DGCA report also noted that failing to assess safety risks properly during approaches to difficult airports may compromise flight safety. Air India stated it was fully transparent during the audit and will submit a detailed corrective action plan within the regulator’s deadline.
The DGCA has frequently flagged Air India pilots for exceeding flight-duty limits. The audit highlighted a recent Boeing 787 flight from Milan to New Delhi that exceeded duty time by 2 hours and 18 minutes, classified as a serious "Level I" violation. The audit was conducted by 14 DGCA officials.
The audit also criticised Air India’s rostering system, stating that it "doesn't give a hard alert" if a minimum number of crew members were not being deployed on a flight. It found at least four international flights had flown with insufficient cabin crew, raising safety concerns.
Last year also, authorities issued 23 warnings or fines to airlines for safety breaches, with 11 involving the Air India Group. The largest penalty was of $127,000 levied on Air India for insufficient oxygen supply on some international flights.
