Overview

• The June 20 DGCA order removed three senior Air India executives responsible for crew scheduling roles after uncovering systemic lapses in licensing, rest and recency norms during the airline’s transition to a new crew management system.
• Choorah Singh, Pinky Mittal and Payal Arora were reassigned to non-operational duties as the regulator flagged unauthorized crew pairings and an absence of internal accountability for repeated violations.
• A show-cause notice was issued over two Bengaluru-London flights in mid-May that exceeded the 10-hour flight duty time limit, and future breaches now carry the threat of penalties, licence suspension or operator permission withdrawal.
• The DGCA has instructed flight operations inspectors to submit all inspections and audit reports on Air India since 2024, reflecting heightened scrutiny of the carrier’s safety practices.
• Air India has implemented the removal directive and placed its chief operations officer in interim oversight of the Integrated Operations Control Centre while reaffirming its commitment to safety protocols.