Air India’s Gurugram Base Faces DGCA Scrutiny, Regulator to Start Annual Inspection

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is set to begin an inspection of Air India’s main base in Gurugram. In a comprehensive review that will start on Monday, the civil aviation regulator will check the airline’s aircraft records and their airworthiness along with training and duty period data of the flight crew, the Economic Times reported. The development comes at a time when the Tata Group airline is facing heightened scrutiny due to technical and operational-related issues. 

“Traditionally, regulatory and safety oversight functions within Indian aviation have been conducted in silos, performing inspections and audits specific to their respective domains,” the Economic Times reported, citing a notice by DGCA. “These activities include planned or unplanned surveillance inspections, random spot checks and ramp inspections, which primarily assess compliance and safety within individual aviation segments,” DGCA added in the notice.

The review is reportedly part of an annual surveillance programme of the DGCA and is not triggered by the Air India Ahmedabad plane crash. The aviation watchdog has urged the inspectors to provide detailed information on all audits conducted on Air India aircraft since 2024. DGCA’s audits will be focused on three key areas, including the effectiveness of an organisation's Safety Management System, the robustness of its operational practices and its adherence to regulatory provisions. 

A similar inspection will be carried out periodically for all airlines, airports, aircraft maintenance organisations and pilot training schools. 

The move comes at a time when the regulator has increased its scrutiny on Air India. Last week, the DGCA ordered the Tata Group airline to remove its three top-level officials, including a divisional vice president, from all roles and responsibilities related to crew scheduling and rostering over serious lapses. The watchdog has also ordered Air India to launch an immediate probe against these three officials. 

“In the interim, the company’s Chief Operations Officer will provide direct oversight to the Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC). Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices,” the airline said in its statement on June 20.