In a major crackdown on Air India following the Ahmedabad crash, the DGCA has ordered the removal of three top officials for repeated violations in scheduling and rostering of staff. An order issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on 20th June stated that the violations were voluntarily disclosed by Air India, after which action has been ordered against the erring officials.
The order stated that repeated and serious violations were voluntarily disclosed by Air India concerning flight crew being scheduled and operated despite lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements. “These violations were discovered during the post-transition review from ARMS to the CAE Flight and Crew Management System,” DGCA said.
The regular said that the voluntary disclosures point to systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability. It added, “Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible for these operational lapses.”
Therefore, DGCA has directed the removal of three officials from all roles and responsibilities related to crew scheduling and rostering. They are, Choorah Singh- Divisional Vice President, Pinky Mittal- Chief Manager – DOPS, Crew Scheduling, and Payal Arora- Crew Scheduling – Planning.
Breaking : @DGCAIndia issues note against Air India rostering team and orders their removal for repeated violations @BDUTT @ShivAroor @VishnuNDTV @Iyervval @kushal_mehra #aviation #avgeeks @ari_maj @jagritichandra @27saurabhsinha @aneeshp
Very strong comments by DGCA
M/s… pic.twitter.com/DYMlXO5S4t
— Sanjay Lazar (@sjlazars) June 21, 2025
As per DGCA, these officials have been involved in serious and repeated lapses including but not limited to, Unauthorized and non-compliant crew pairings, Violation of mandatory licensing and recency norms, Systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversight.
The regulator further stated that internal disciplinary proceedings must be initiated against these officials without delay, and the outcome of such proceedings shall be reported to the DGCA within 10 days from the date of issue of the order.
DGCA further said, “the aforementioned officials shall be reassigned to non-operational roles pending conclusion of corrective reforms in scheduling practices, and shall not hold any position involving direct influence over flight safety and crew compliance until further notice.”
It added that any future violation of crew scheduling norms, licensing, or flight time limitations detected in any post-audit or inspection, will attract strict enforcement action, including but not limited to penalties, license suspension, or withdrawal of operator permissions as applicable.
