The Indian aviation regulator has issued a fine of Rs 20,00,000 ($245,105) to low-cost carrier AirAsia India (now renamed to AIX Connect) for not meeting pilot training requirements, according to a report by the news agency ANI.
Serious safety lapse
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has found that AirAsia India violated norms on pilot proficiency checks (PPC) and instrument rating (IR) tests.
The news came to light following an inspection conducted by the Indian aviation authority on the airline between November 23 and November 25, 2022.
A DGCA statement seen by ANI outlined that,
“During the inspection, the DGCA team observed that a few mandatory exercises of the pilots of AirAsia India were not done during Pilot Proficiency Check/Instrument Rating check (which is an International Civil Aviation Organization requirement) as per schedule, resulting in violation of DGCA regulations."
Check out more Indian aviation news here
Simple Flying has reached out to the DGCA and AirAsia India for a comment.
As a result of this investigation, the head of training at AirAsia was removed from his position for three months for not fulfilling his duties as required by the DGCA. Additionally, eight designated examiners at AirAsia were each fined Rs 3,00,000 ($36,763) for not fulfilling their duties as required by the DGCA.
Not the first time
This was not the first time when the country’s aviation regulator initiated a probe into AirAsia India over safety concerns. In 2020, the DGCA launched an investigation after one of AirAsia India's pilots alleged safety branches in the budget airline.
Captain Gaurav Taneja posted a 27-minute video detailing the failings of AirAsia management in dealing with a number of safety issues. These issues ranged from taking punitive action against pilots for sick leave to forcing pilots to operate flaps at a certain level to save fuel.
The DGCA investigation resulted in the suspension of two senior executives at the carrier for three months.
About AirAsia India
It is worth noting that AirAsia India has changed its name to AIX Connect. The move came after Tata-owned Air India announced that it has signed agreements to complete the acquisition of 100% shareholding in AirAsia India and to subsidiarize it under Air India. Founded in June 2014, the airline used to be a joint venture between Tata Sons and AirAsia Bhd.
The airline currently has a total of 28 Airbus A320 aircraft (23 A320-200s and five A320neos) in its fleet with an average age of 11 years, according to Planespotters.net data.
Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today.
Sources: ANI, Planespotters.net