DGCA issued 4 show-cause notices to Air India over 29 violations: Minister

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) The government on Thursday said that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued four show-cause notices to Air India over 29 violations.

These violations are addressed as per the Enforcement Policy and Procedure Manual of DGCA.

A few instances of systematic issues were observed post-merger of Vistara and Air India, said Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

"Systemic issues were due to the adoption of new software and systems. A compliance reply has been received from Air India," the minister informed.

The DGCA carried out 171 regulatory audits from 2020 to June 2025 to ensure safety in India's civil aviation sector.

In an earlier reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, MoS Mohol informed that a total of two incidents of turbulence and 10 incidents of emergency landing due to technical snags have been reported since January 2024 apart from which Air India’s Boeing aircraft VT-ANB on June 12, 2025, "declared MAYDAY and eventually met with an accident".

The minister said that pilot training in India is governed by extant regulations as specified under various Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) and operations circulars, which are in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and global best practices.

The DGCA also ordered a new set of Comprehensive Special Audits to enhance safety following the jolt to the country’s civil aviation sector in the wake of the tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad.

The audit framework covers the entire range of aviation entities, including scheduled and non-scheduled airlines, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) organisations, flying training schools, air navigation service providers, airport operators, and ground handling agencies.

The aviation regulator has made it clear that failure to comply with audit recommendations could attract penalties such as suspension of operations or even cancellation of licences in cases of violation of safety norms.

--IANS

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