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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has issued a warning to Air India over violations of flight time regulations, advising the airline to exercise the highest level of caution in adhering to aviation safety rules.
A regular spot check by the DGCA revealed that AI's Bangalore-London flights on May 16 and 17 exceeded the stipulated time of a maximum of 10 hours under Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section 7, Series J, Part III.
“During a spot check, it was observed that Air India operated flights AI133 on May 16 and 17, 2025, both of which surpassed the 10-hour maximum flight time prescribed under Para 6.1.3 of the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section 7, Series J, Part III, Issue III dated April 24, 2019," the warning letter issued by DGCA stated.
The flight regulator said that the airline misused flight timing rules given to pilots under special circumstances after the closure of the Pakistani airspace on April 24, which granted Air India and other flights to carry out flight operations beyond the flight duty time limitation (FDTL) norms.
However, citing the exemption that allowed extended flying hours for pilots, Air India reduced the number of cockpit crew from three to two on two Bengaluru–London flights that did not enter Pakistani airspace and were therefore not
covered by the exemption. The aviation regulator, reportedly angered by the move, reprimanded Air India for what a senior official described as "oversmartness." The exemption to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) ended on June 12, the same day AI 171 crashed.
The aviation regulator also pointed out that the airline’s Accountable Manager did not ensure adherence to critical operational requirements outlined in Annexure III of the Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs).
Based on the above-mentioned
complaints, the DGCA issued a Show Cause Notice to Air India on June 20. "In view of the above, a Show Cause Notice was issued to Air India on 20 June 2025 under the relevant provisions of the Enforcement Policy and Procedures Manual (EPPM) for the aforementioned violations," it said in a letter.
“The reply submitted by Air India in response to the Show Cause Notice has been duly examined and found to be unsatisfactory in addressing the regulatory lapses and deficiencies noted," the letter further stated.
Meanwhile, an Air India spokesperson said, "Air India receives the DGCA letter with regard to rostering issues on two long-haul flights reported in mid-May that arose due to a different interpretation of a permission that was granted to mitigate the border related airspace closure. This was corrected immediately after the right interpretation was conveyed to us. Air India remains fully compliant with the rules."
A regular spot check by the DGCA revealed that AI's Bangalore-London flights on May 16 and 17 exceeded the stipulated time of a maximum of 10 hours under Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section 7, Series J, Part III.
“During a spot check, it was observed that Air India operated flights AI133 on May 16 and 17, 2025, both of which surpassed the 10-hour maximum flight time prescribed under Para 6.1.3 of the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section 7, Series J, Part III, Issue III dated April 24, 2019," the warning letter issued by DGCA stated.
The flight regulator said that the airline misused flight timing rules given to pilots under special circumstances after the closure of the Pakistani airspace on April 24, which granted Air India and other flights to carry out flight operations beyond the flight duty time limitation (FDTL) norms.
However, citing the exemption that allowed extended flying hours for pilots, Air India reduced the number of cockpit crew from three to two on two Bengaluru–London flights that did not enter Pakistani airspace and were therefore not
The aviation regulator also pointed out that the airline’s Accountable Manager did not ensure adherence to critical operational requirements outlined in Annexure III of the Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs).
Based on the above-mentioned
“The reply submitted by Air India in response to the Show Cause Notice has been duly examined and found to be unsatisfactory in addressing the regulatory lapses and deficiencies noted," the letter further stated.
Meanwhile, an Air India spokesperson said, "Air India receives the DGCA letter with regard to rostering issues on two long-haul flights reported in mid-May that arose due to a different interpretation of a permission that was granted to mitigate the border related airspace closure. This was corrected immediately after the right interpretation was conveyed to us. Air India remains fully compliant with the rules."
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