‘Altered or forged records..’: DGCA warned Air India Express of delays in Airbus engine fixes; months before AI 171 Dreamliner crash
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation had in March expressed disapproval against Air India Express for failing to replace engine components of an Airbus A320 as stipulated by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. Not only that, the airline also submitted false documentation to demonstrate compliance, according to official documentation quoted in a Reuters report.Air India Express operates as a Tata Group-controlled subsidiary of Air India. The airline maintains a substantial fleet exceeding 115 aircraft, servicing over 50 destinations through 500 daily flights.The concerns regarding Air India Express’ Airbus were identified on March 18. Additionally, the regulatory body has warned the parent company, Air India, for operating three Airbus aircraft with overdue escape slide inspections, and subsequently highlighted significant breaches of pilot duty hour regulations in June.Also Read | Air India Boeing 787 crash: What brought down AI 171 plane in Ahmedabad? Simulation puts focus on technical failureAir India Express responded to Reuters, acknowledging the oversight and confirming implementation of corrective and preventive protocols.The scrutiny of Air India has intensified following the June Boeing Dreamliner accident in Ahmedabad. This catastrophic incident, recognised as the decade’s most severe aviation disaster, remains under investigation.
Air India Express Airbus Engine Fix Issue
In 2023, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency identified safety concerns regarding CFM International LEAP-1A engines. They issued guidelines requiring replacement of specific components, including engine seals and rotating parts, after discovering manufacturing irregularities.The agency’s notice stated: “this condition, if not corrected, could lead to failure of affected parts, possibly resulting in high energy debris release, with consequent damage to, and reduced control of, the aeroplane.”A confidential government memorandum from March, accessed by Reuters, indicated that DGCA monitoring of an Air India Express plane revealed non-compliance with parts modification requirements on an Airbus A320 engine within the specified timeframe.The memo highlighted that AMOS records were seemingly manipulated to demonstrate compliance with prescribed maintenance limits. AMOS is the software system utilised by airlines for maintenance and airworthiness management.Also Read | Air India plane crash: 787 Dreamliner is Boeing’s flagship product – 10 things to know about aircraft model involved in Ahmedabad crashThe document specified that Air India Express aircraft VT-ATD required this essential modification. According to the AirNav Radar website, this particular aircraft operates on domestic routes and serves international destinations including Dubai and Muscat.The document noted that this oversight suggested a failure in quality control oversight by the accountable manager.In response to Reuters, Air India Express explained that their technical team had missed the scheduled parts replacement deadline due to data migration in their monitoring software. They confirmed that the issue was rectified after discovery.The airline refrained from specifying compliance timelines or responding to DGCA’s observations regarding record alterations. However, they confirmed implementing “necessary administrative actions” following the March memo, including the quality manager’s removal and suspension of the deputy continuing airworthiness manager.
Not A New Issue?
The issue was initially detected during a DGCA inspection in October 2024, and the aircraft completed only limited flights after the scheduled replacement of CFM engine components was due, a source was quoted as saying.“Such issues should be fixed immediately. It’s a grave mistake. The risk increases when you are flying over sea or near restricted airspace,” said Vibhuti Singh, a former legal expert at the India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.Also Read | ‘Violation of standard airworthiness…’: Days before Air India crash, DGCA warned airline of breaching safety rules on Airbus aircraft: ReportOfficial data presented to parliament in February revealed that regulatory bodies issued warnings or penalties to airlines in 23 instances of safety violations in the previous year. Air India Express accounted for three cases, whilst Air India was responsible for eight.Despite Air India’s significant expansion of international routes recently, the airline continues to receive regular customer complaints. Passengers frequently share images on social media platforms depicting deteriorating cabin conditions, including unclean seats, damaged armrests, malfunctioning entertainment units and unsanitary interiors.
