Aviation regulator – Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) – has issued a show-cause notice to Akasa Air for violation of norms related to the airline's operations manual. This is the second show-cause notice issued by the regulator to the airline in December.
An Akasa Air spokesperson said that the DGCA has raised certain findings for which they have issued a notice for clarification from the airline's flight operations team.
As per sources, the DGCA has found a violation with respect to the operations manual, which is required to be revised every six months. Citing the submissions made by SNV Aviation Pvt Ltd, which operates Akasa Air, the regulator said the revision cycle of the operations manual has exceeded the six-month cycle, which is in violation of certain provisions of Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), the sources said.
The show-cause notice has also mentioned that the Director of Flight Operations of the airline failed to ensure compliance with CAR and that the carrier has been asked to show cause as to why suitable action should not be initiated for the violation.
"The DGCA has raised certain findings for which they have issued a notice for clarification from Akasa Air's Flight Operations team. As always, we are working closely with the DGCA to clarify this issue and enhance our protocols as required by the regulator," the Akasa Air spokesperson said.
On December 9, the watchdog issued a show-cause notice to an Akasa Air aircraft maintenance engineer for poor maintenance standards and certification.
Meanwhile, Akasa Air CEO Vinay Dube said that safety is Akasa Air’s priority.
"Safety is Akasa's priority, world-class safety. We always look at ways in which we can continue to improve ourselves; this is a continuous procedure. We look at our processes, procedures, training, structures, reporting," Dube told PTI in an interview.
Last week, a section of pilots at the airline raised concerns about alleged training and safety issues at Akasa Air. The airline denied the claims and said they were baseless and untrue.
"We continue to look at how we can build from the high levels of satisfaction without being complacent. All our pilots have given extremely good feedback, our pilots are extremely satisfied, and we continue to find ways to make sure that we are not complacent," Dube said.
Akasa Air, which flies to 27 destinations, including five international cities, had a domestic market share of 4.5 per cent in October. The airline has a fleet of 26 planes and around 4,300 employees, including about 800 pilots.