Another Problem For Air India

Air India has yet another problem concerning the upkeep of its day-to-day business following an audit.

India’s aviation watchdog, which has been keeping a close eye on the flag-carrier following a fatal 787 accident, has conducted audits into the business.

As part of an audit that occurred in July, and the findings across the government reported by Reuters, there were many safety lapses.

Specifically, this audit is not directly related to the fatal accident involving the Dreamliner but is part of ongoing investigations into the airline.

The report indicates there were a total of 51 safety lapses across Air India, which included several key safety measures that were not executed. Of the 51 safety lapses that were identified, they range from the usage of unapproved simulators to poor rostering systems for employees.

Additionally, there were concerns surrounding the lack of adequate training for some pilots, too. Ten inspectors from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and four others carried out this 11-page confidential audit shared by Reuters.

As part of this, the auditors said they found recurrent training gaps for unspecific Boeing 787 and 777 pilots, with the failure to complete monitoring duties.

Pilots were the hot topic of conversation, with operational and safety risks involving the failure to conduct proper route assessments of specific airports where proper training had not been conducted, nor had simulators met the necessary standards.

Seven “Level 1” breaches of significant nature needed to be fixed by July 30. Additionally, 44 others were determined as non-compliances and need to be resolved by the mid-to-late stages of August.

Air India’s Safety Concerns Grow

The latest reporting from Reuters and the audit comes just a week after further safety concerns arose with scrutiny at an all-time high for the flag-carrier.

Junior Civil Aviation Minister Murlidhar Mohol, who spoke with lawmakers, said the company had received nine show cause notices in the last six months alone.

These notices, while lacking confirmation on their specifics, were related to safety violations over the period, and subsequent action was required to be taken.

Air India has on several occasions said it’s being transparent with regulators and watchdogs in a bid to rectify the long list of safety concerns.

The airline, under intense scrutiny, saw its broader group affected only months ago as well, with Air India Express under pressure; this division was reprimanded for failing to replace engine parts on an A320 promptly.

With Air India currently trying to turn around its fortunes under new ownership, the persistent audits into the business while uncovering fresh problems that need resolving fuel those doubters that the company will be able to turn itself around fully.

While investments have been coming in thick and fast, new aircraft are being introduced with flashy new cabins and branding. However, there’s fundamentally a whole culture that needs adjusting, and current leadership has an uphill battle to achieve this.

Transparency will therefore be key moving forward if the airline is to stand a chance at restoring its global reputation after years of financial turmoil alongside dated products, poor service and more compared to competitor airlines.