The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has fined Air India Rs 1 crore for flying an aircraft without it having a valid airworthiness certificate, saying the lapse has further eroded public trust in the country’s second-biggest airline. The civil aviation regulator has also directed some post holders from the engineering be removed for this serious lapse, said sources. The Airbus A320 flew passengers between New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad on November 24, 25 without the mandatory Airworthiness Review Certificate, or ARC, a key permit issued annually by the regulator after a plane passes safety and compliance checks.
‘Further eroded public confidence and adversely…’
A confidential penalty order issued by Indian authorities on February 5 to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the incident had “further eroded public confidence and adversely impacted the safety compliance of the organisation.”
“The accountable manager on behalf of Air India is found blameworthy for the above lapses,” Joint Director General of Civil Aviation, Maneesh Kumar, wrote in the order, referring to Wilson.
The DGCA had, on Dec 2, 2025, issued a statement on this lapse. “Under delegated authority, Air India issues ‘airworthiness review certificate’ (ARC) for aircraft it operates. ARC is issued annually in respect of an aircraft after a comprehensive review of its maintenance records, physical condition and verification of compliance with all airworthiness standards. It acts as a validation of the aircraft’s main ‘certificate of airworthiness’ (C of A).”
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In 2024, DGCA had decided to do the first ARC renewal for Vistara’s 70 aircraft post the airline’s merger with Air India. While the ARC for 69 aircraft was issued, one Airbus A320’s (VT-TQN) certificate was not issued and then it was grounded for engine change. But after getting the engine changed, AI released the aircraft for flights without the ARC.
“On Nov 26, 2025, (AI) informed DGCA about the flying of the aircraft on expired ARC for eight revenue sectors,” DGCA had said in its Dec 2 statement while ordering a probe into this lapse. The same has now been completed, and Air India fined Rs 1 crore, along with being ordered to remove some postholders from engineering.
‘Conduct internal investigation to identify deficiencies in system’
It had then asked the airline to conduct “internal investigation to identify deficiencies in their system and put corrective measures in place to prevent such failures from occurring in future.”
The airline had issued a statement then saying, “Air India remains unwavering in its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of operational integrity and safety, and any deviation from mandated compliance protocols is treated with utmost seriousness and is unacceptable to the organisation.”
“An incident involving one of our aircraft operating without an airworthiness review certificate is regrettable. As soon as this came to our notice, it was duly reported to the DGCA and all personnel associated with the decision have been placed under suspension, pending further review. We have initiated a comprehensive internal investigation,” it said.
Air India’s own internal investigation into the incident found “systemic failures”. The airline also admitted there was an urgent need to improve compliance culture at the carrier.
Air India suffered its worst disaster when a Boeing Dreamliner crashed moments after take-off in June last year, killing 260 people.
