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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'Go back to your own country': Indian-origin taxi driver attacked in Dublin
London, Aug 5 (PTI): An Indian-origin taxi driver based in Ireland for over 23 years has become the latest to be targeted in an unprovoked attack in the capital Dublin, with local police (Gardai) launching an investigation into the violent assault.
Lakhvir Singh, in his 40s, told local media that he picked up two young men in their 20s on Friday night and dropped them at Poppintree, in the Ballymun suburb of Dublin.
Upon arriving at the destination, the men are said to have opened the vehicle door and struck him twice on the head with a bottle. As the suspects fled, they reportedly shouted: "Go back to your own country".
"In 10 years I've never seen anything like this happen," Singh told ‘Dublin Live’.
"I'm really scared now and I'm off the road at the moment. It will be very hard to go back. My children are really scared," he said.
A Dublin police spokesperson said Singh was taken to the city's Beaumont Hospital with injuries determined as not life-threatening.
"Gardaí are investigating an assault reported to have occurred in Poppintree, Ballymun, Dublin 11 at approximately 11:45 pm on Friday, 1st August 2025. A man, aged in his 40s, was brought to Beaumont Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injury. Investigations are ongoing," the spokesperson said.
The incident followed an Indian Embassy advisory, also issued on Friday, expressing safety concerns following recent attacks in and around the capital Dublin and urging Indian citizens to take safety precautions.
"There has been an increase in the instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently,” states the advisory.
“The embassy is in touch with the authorities concerned in Ireland in this regard. At the same time, all Indian citizens in Ireland are advised to take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially at odd hours," the statement reads, adding emergency embassy contact details as 0899423734 and cons.dublin@mea.gov.in.
It came in the wake of a brutal attack on a 40-year-old Indian man at Parkhill Road in the Tallaght suburb of Dublin on July 19, described as “mindless, racist violence” by locals.
The Gardai had opened an investigation into the case and Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra was among those who took to social media to express shock over the attack.
“Regarding the recent incident of physical attack on an Indian national that happened in Tallaght, Dublin, the embassy is in touch with the victim and his family. All the requisite assistance is being offered. The embassy is also in touch with the relevant Irish authorities in this regard,” the embassy said in a social media post days after the incident.
A Stand Against Racism protest was also held by the local community in condemnation of what was described as a "vicious racist attack" and to express solidarity with migrants.
Last week, Dr Santosh Yadav took to LinkedIn to post details of a “brutal, unprovoked racist attack”.
The entrepreneur and AI expert stressed that it was not an isolated incident and called for “concrete measures” from the governments of Ireland and India to ensure Indians feel safe to walk the streets of Dublin.
His post revealed that a group of six teenagers attacked him from behind as he walked to his apartment in Dublin.
“This is not an isolated incident. Racist attacks on Indian men and other minorities are surging across Dublin — on buses, in housing estates, and on public streets. Yet, the government is silent. There is no action being taken against these perpetrators. They run free and are emboldened to attack again,” reads Yadav's post.
Fine Gael party Councillor for Tallaght South, Baby Pereppadan, was among those who expressed concern following last month’s attack.
“People need to understand that many Indian people moving to Ireland are here on work permits, to study and work in the healthcare sector or in IT and so on, providing critical skills,” he said.
Another violent anti-Indian attack in Ireland
— Journalist V (@OnTheNewsBeat) August 5, 2025
Taxi driver Lakhvir Singh was attacked with glass bottles while doing his job pic.twitter.com/mtkwhLWISx
