DGCA fines AI Rs 1 cr for flying Airbus without valid airworthiness certificate

India’s aviation regulator has imposed a penalty of $110,350 (around Rs 1 crore) on Air India for operating an Airbus A320 on eight passenger flights without a valid airworthiness permit, according to a confidential order.

The sanction was issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after the aircraft flew multiple sectors between Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad on 24 and 25 November without the mandatory Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC). The ARC is renewed annually by the regulator following a series of technical and compliance checks.

In its response, Air India said it had voluntarily reported the incident in 2025 and had since rectified all identified shortcomings. “Air India acknowledges receipt of the DGCA order. All gaps have been addressed and communicated to the authority. We remain steadfast in our commitment to the highest standards of safety and operational integrity,” the airline said.

An internal investigation by the carrier, first reported by Reuters in December, described the episode as indicative of “systemic failures” and highlighted the need to reinforce compliance processes across the organisation.

In the penalty order dated 5 February, the DGCA informed chief executive Campbell Wilson that the incident had “further eroded public confidence” and adversely affected the airline’s safety compliance standing.

The regulator’s joint director general, Maneesh Kumar, held the airline’s accountable manager responsible for the lapses and directed the carrier to deposit the Rs1 crore fine within 30 days.

The enforcement action comes at a time of intensified regulatory oversight of Air India following its worst aviation disaster in recent years. In June last year, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.

Separately, the airline’s internal probe into the Airbus incident found that flight crew operating the eight sectors had not adhered fully to standard operating procedures prior to departure.

Air India, which is owned by the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, has also received recent warnings from the DGCA over deficiencies including incomplete emergency equipment checks and other audit-related observations.

The latest penalty underscores mounting pressure on the airline to rebuild public trust as it pursues an ambitious fleet expansion and operational restructuring programme.