Air India flouting safety norms? DGCA slams airline for extending flight duty timings of pilots
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An exemption was granted to Air India by DGCA after Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines on April 24. But the rules were applied by Air India to other flights thus inviting notice.
Air India is once again in the eye of a storm. This time it is for violating flight time regulations - the 10-hour pilot flight time limit stipulated under the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR). The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a warning to Air India in this regard and has asked it to adhere to highest level of aviation safety requirements.
This comes after the Air India plane crash on June 12 in Ahmedabad claimed lives of 241 passengers and crew aboard the plane.
On inspection by the DGCA regulator it was found that Air India operated Bangalore-London flights (AI133) on May 16 and 17, 2025, each exceeding the stipulated 10-hour maximum flight time set by the Civil Aviation Requirement or CAR for pilots.
“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 communication to the airline by DGCA was confirmed by Air India spokesperson, who said the problem was "due to a different interpretation of a permission that was granted to mitigate the border related airspace closure".
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What was the exemption
This exemption was granted to Air India by DGCA after Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines on April 24 which impacted West-bound flights. So, to ensure that these flights continue operating, the DGCA allowed Air India to exceed the stipulated 10-hour maximum flight time.
However, the airline reportedly applied this exemption to flights that were not affected by Pakistan's airspace closure thus leading to a notice by the regulator body.
