The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had warned Air India of safety protocol violations after three of its Airbus planes continued operations despite pending security checks of emergency systems, Reuters reported, citing government documents.
Air India has come under fire after its AI171 aircraft- a Boeing 787 -8 Dreamliner- crashed during takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people on board in addition to at least 28 people on the ground.
According to the DGCA report cited by Reuters, the aviation watchdog found that three Air India Airbus planes were being operated despite mandatory inspections being overdue on the "critical emergency equipment" of escape slides, during spot checks last month.
In one case, an Airbus A320 jet was found to have flown to international destinations such as Dubai, Riyadh and Jeddah, despite an over one-month delay in carrying out inspections.
In another case, involving an Airbus A319 used on domestic routes, inspections were found to have been delayed by over three months, while a third showed an inspection delayed by two days.
"The above cases indicate that aircraft were operated with expired or unverified emergency equipment, which is a violation of standard airworthiness and safety requirements," the DGCA report said.
Air India "failed to submit timely compliance responses" to deficiencies raised by the DGCA, "further evidencing weak procedural control and oversight," the report added.
In the wake of the deadly Ahmedabad plane crash, the DGCA has ordered enhanced surveillance of Air India's Beoing 787 aircrafts.
However, Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson has said the crashed Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was "well-maintained" and had undergone a major check in June 2023 with the next scheduled for December this year.
A multi-disciplinary team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has commenced an investigation into the accident.
Meanwhile, Air India on Friday cancelled several international and domestic flights citing maintenance and operational reasons.
Affected flights include services between Dubai, Chennai, Delhi, Melbourne, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.
"Air India's international flights AI906 from Dubai to Chennai; AI308 from Delhi to Melbourne; AI309 from Melbourne to Delhi; AI2204 from Dubai to Hyderabad and domestic flights AI874 from Pune to Delhi; AI456 from Ahmedabad to Delhi; AI-2872 from Hyderabad to Mumbai and AI571 from Chennai to Mumbai have been cancelled due to enhanced maintenance and operational reasons," read a statement from the airlines.
