Air India is once again under regulatory scrutiny after two pilots operated commercial flights without completing mandatory licensing and training requirements, according to a report in TOI. This comes barely five months after the carrier was pulled up by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over crew-rostering lapses.
The airline has removed both pilots — an A320 co-pilot and a senior commander — from flying duty. One reportedly flew despite a lapsed English Language Proficiency (ELP) certificate, while the other operated a scheduled commercial flight without completing mandatory corrective training after failing a bi-annual Pilot Proficiency Check (PPC) and Instrument Rating (IR) test.
Under aviation rules, pilots who do not clear their PPC and IR checks must undergo remedial training and re-evaluation before returning to duty. Skipping this step and operating passenger flights has been termed an “extremely serious” lapse by officials.
The DGCA has launched a formal investigation and sought detailed explanations from Air India. The airline has issued an internal advisory instructing pilots to re-verify all licensing and certification documents to ensure full compliance with regulatory norms.
