DGCA orders Air India to ‘remove’ 3 crew rostering officials, warns of ‘licence suspension’

India’s aviation regulator DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) on Saturday ordered Air India to “remove” three officials involved in crew scheduling and rostering, warning that any future violation of norms will attract strict enforcement action, including licence suspension.

“The voluntary disclosures, while noted, point to systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability. Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible for these operational lapses,” DGCA said in its order on June 21.

The following personnel have been identified as directly responsible for the continued non-compliance:

• Mr. Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice President

• Ms. Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager – DOPS, Crew Scheduling

• Ms. Payal Arora, Crew Scheduling – Planning

DGCA said these officials have been involved in serious and repeated lapses including but not limited to unauthorised and non-compliant crew pairings, violation of mandatory licensing and recency norms, and systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversight.

DGCA said internal disciplinary proceedings must be initiated against these officials without delay, and the outcome of such proceedings shall be reported to this office within 10 days from the date of issue of this letter.

“The officials shall be reassigned to non-operational roles pending conclusion of corrective reforms in scheduling practices, and shall not hold any position involving direct influence over flight safety and crew compliance until further notice,” the aviation regulator said.

“Any future violation of crew scheduling norms, licensing, or flight time limitations detected in any post-audit or inspection, will attract strict enforcement action, including but not limited to penalties, license suspension, or withdrawal of operator permissions as applicable,” it added.

An Air India spokesperson acknowledged the regulator’s directive and said the airline has implemented the order. “In the interim, the company's Chief Operations Officer will provide direct oversight to the Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC). Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices,” said the Tata Group-owned airline’s spokesperson.