DGCA flagged Air India’s safety lapses days before AI171 crash: Reports
New Delhi: Days before the tragic crash of Air India flight AI171, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had raised concerns about safety protocol violations by the airline, according to a Reuters report citing official documents.
The DGCA’s internal report revealed that three of Air India’s Airbus aircraft were being operated despite overdue mandatory inspections of “critical emergency equipment,” including escape slides. These lapses were flagged during spot checks carried out last month.
One of the aircraft, an Airbus A320, reportedly flew international routes to Dubai, Riyadh, and Jeddah with safety inspections overdue by more than a month. Another aircraft, an Airbus A319 serving domestic routes, had delayed inspections by over three months. A third case showed a delay of two days in completing required checks.
“These incidents indicate that aircraft were operated with expired or unverified emergency equipment, which constitutes a violation of standard airworthiness and safety regulations,” the DGCA report noted. The regulator further stated that Air India had "failed to submit timely compliance responses" to identified deficiencies, reflecting weak internal oversight.
The revelations come in the wake of the fatal crash of Air India’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, AI171, which crashed during takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. The crash killed at least 269 people, including 241 passengers and crew on board and at least 28 on the ground. Only one person onboard is reported to have survived.
Following the crash, the DGCA ordered enhanced surveillance of all Boeing 787 aircraft operated by Air India. Despite the warnings, Air India’s CEO and Managing Director, Campbell Wilson, defended the maintenance record of the ill-fated aircraft, stating that it had undergone a major inspection in June 2023 and was next due for checks in December 2025.
A multi-disciplinary investigation team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been assigned to probe the cause of the crash.
In a related development, Air India has cancelled multiple domestic and international flights, citing “enhanced maintenance and operational reasons.” Flights affected include AI906 (Dubai–Chennai), AI308 (Delhi–Melbourne), AI309 (Melbourne–Delhi), AI2204 (Dubai–Hyderabad), AI874 (Pune–Delhi), AI456 (Ahmedabad–Delhi), AI2872 (Hyderabad–Mumbai), and AI571 (Chennai–Mumbai).
The airline has not issued a statement in response to the DGCA findings.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
