Aviation watchdog DGCA has imposed a fine of Rs 1.10 crore on Air India for safety violations in connection with the operation of Boeing 777 aircraft leased to the US, while the airline said it plans to appeal against the regulator’s decision. Has been. This is the second time in a week that the regulator has imposed a fine on Air India.

The regulator had received a complaint from a former Air India pilot alleging that the airline operated Boeing 777 planes to the US without the required system of emergency oxygen supply. The matter was thoroughly investigated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which also issued a show cause notice to the airline.

“Since the operation of the leased aircraft was not in conformance with the regulatory/OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) performance limits, DGCA has initiated enforcement action and imposed a penalty of Rs 1.10 crore on Air India,” DGCA said in a release on Wednesday. have put.” , Air India spokesperson said, ‘We disagree with the order issued by DGCA.’

“The issues raised were thoroughly investigated by Air India with external experts and concluded that there has been no compromise on safety. We are studying the order in detail and will review the options available to us, including our right to appeal as well as our right to raise it with the regulator,” the spokesperson said. According to the release issued by the DGCA, it conducted a detailed investigation after receiving a voluntary safety report from an airline employee alleging safety violations in flights operated by Air India on some important long-haul routes.

Since the investigation prima facie revealed non-compliance by the airline, the DGCA said a show cause notice was issued to Air India. Specific details were not disclosed in the release.

The release said that the DGCA analyzed the airline’s response to the show cause notice with respect to the conditions prescribed under the relevant statutory provisions and the performance limitations prescribed in the key documents submitted by the OEM before taking enforcement action. On October 29, 2023, the pilot, who served as the B777 commander, complained about the airline’s practice of not carrying the required system of emergency oxygen supply.

At the time, sources had said that the complaint was that Air India was operating flights with leased B777 aircraft, which have chemically generated oxygen systems that last for about 12 minutes, and so were being used by the airline. Should not be used for direct flights coming from Kisan. Francisco. The airline must take care that in case of a pressurization emergency, there must be adequate supply of oxygen to all crew and passengers for any period exceeding 12 minutes.

According to the complaint, in case of depressurization, the aircraft is mandated to land at a flight altitude of 10,000 feet or less. When flying over mountainous terrain higher than 9,000 to 10,000 feet, it may not be possible to descend to 10,000 feet within 12 minutes.

The complaint said this was because avoiding vast stretches of high mountainous terrain spanning hundreds of miles required maintaining a minimum flight altitude of more than 10,000 feet for more than 12 minutes. “The matter concerned is multi-faceted and has already been investigated by Air India and external experts. We will refrain from making any comments on this specific matter but we would like to reiterate that the safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority and there is no compromise on it,” an Air India spokesperson said in this regard on November 3 last year. I said. Complaint.

Meanwhile, on January 17, the DGCA imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India for lapses in rostering of pilots for operating flights in low visibility conditions.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)