India’s aviation watchdog has found Air India breached time limits for pilots on flights from Bengaluru to London.
As a result, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered the airline to remove three company executives from crew scheduling roles, according to Government reports seen by the news agency Reuters.
The pilots exceeded their flight time limit of 10 hours on flights on 16 and 17 May, according to the report.
It said there had been ‘systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversights’ and criticised the lack of strict disciplinary measures against responsible officials.
A Divisional Vice President, a Chief Manager of Crew Scheduling, and a Planning Executive have since been removed at the DGCA’s instructions.
The report is unrelated to this month’s fatal Air India crash, which involved a Gatwick-bound Boeing 787.
Air India issued a statement to Travel Gossip saying: “We acknowledge the regulator’s directive and have implemented the Order. 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.”
