DGCA Launches Rigorous Audit of Air India Amid Heightened Safety Oversight

A team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation will conduct a comprehensive annual audit of Air India from 24 to 26 June, intensifying focus on the carrier’s operations and compliance following the June 12 crash of Flight AI171 in Ahmedabad, which claimed nearly 280 lives. Though scheduled independently of the crash, the audit arrives as inspectors scrutinise the airline’s operational documents, cabin safety protocols, and historical audit responses.

Leading the review will be Deputy Chief Flight Operations Inspector Adhiraj Yadav and a team of ten officials, including two cabin safety experts. The inspection will span documents on airworthiness, crew training and flight duty records, and previous non-compliance action plans. The DGCA has emphasised mandatory presence of key Air India executives during the audit.

The audit takes place against a backdrop of mounting regulatory intervention. In late May, a DGCA inspection found that three Airbus jets in Air India’s fleet flew without timely safety checks on their emergency slides—one A320 had a check more than one month overdue, and one A319 was delayed by over three months. The regulator issued formal warnings and described the delayed compliance as evidence of “weak procedural control and oversight”.

Further compounding matters, the DGCA last Saturday issued a stern warning for repeated and serious pilot duty scheduling violations, instructing the removal of three crew-scheduling executives. Air India has indicated it has acted on the directive.

These developments follow intensified inspections of all 33 Boeing 787s in Air India’s fleet. While initial findings revealed no major safety defects, 24 aircraft had already undergone enhanced inspections by mid-June, with the remainder scheduled to complete the checks shortly. The comprehensive checks contributed to delays and cancellations across wide-body operations, with a downturn in route availability pegged at around 15 percent through mid‑July.

Experts suggest that this layer of oversight reflects a strategic shift by the DGCA toward “360-degree” evaluations, broadening beyond routine audits to include airlines, airports, maintenance organisations, training institutes and ground services. Officials describe this as a coordinated effort to fortify the aviation ecosystem after safety deficiencies surfaced in recent months.

In response, Air India has emphasised that it is accelerating its internal compliance efforts, including extensive verification of maintenance records and ensuring escape-slide checks are up to date. The airline maintains that its aircraft—particularly the ill-fated Boeing 787-8—were “well maintained” and crews were suitably experienced.

The crash of Flight AI171 involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner registered VT‑ANB, which lost thrust after take-off and impacted a hostel block at B.J. Medical College shortly after clearing the runway. Only one passenger survived, while at least 39 people were killed on the ground. Both UK and US authorities are supporting the investigation, which is examining technical and procedural factors such as engine performance, hydraulic systems, flap configuration and crew training.

Tata Group, which assumed ownership of Air India in 2022, has urged staff to treat the disaster as a “turning point” in rebuilding a safety-first culture. Its strategic investments have included more than US $70 billion in new aircraft orders, infrastructure upgrades and a full-scale rebranding effort. Analysts caution, however, that restoring public trust hinges on tangible improvements in operational discipline and compliance.

The DGCA audit will therefore not only evaluate existing compliance but also test if Air India’s corrective processes are thorough and permanent. Given recent warnings and the complexity of the current probe, expectations are high that the audit’s findings could shape a longer-term regulatory approach to aviation safety in India.