The
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India and suspended its
pilot-in-command for three months for failing to discharge his duties as per
rules.
The incident
refers to a male passenger allegedly urinating on a female passenger on board
Air India flight AI-102 flight on November 26 from New York to Delhi. However,
the aviation regulator said that they were informed of the incident only after
media reports highlighted the matter.
Air India filed a first information
report (FIR) and reported the matter to the DGCA on January 4 whereas, it
received the complaint from the woman passenger on November 27.
Issuing
show cause notices to the accountable manager of Air India, the director of
in-flight services of Air India, and all the pilots and cabin crew members of
the flight, the DGCA asked: “...as to why enforcement action should not be
taken against them for dereliction of their regulatory obligations.”
DCGA officials said that they were
unsatisfied with Air India’s written reply that was submitted to them Air India submitted an internal report
in connection with the urination case.
Based on
Air India’s reply to DGCA, the aviation regulator imposed a financial penalty
of Rs 30 lakh for violation of applicable DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements
(CAR). It has also suspended the license of the pilot-in-command of the said
flight for three months for failing to discharge his duties as per Rule 141 of
the Aircraft Rules, 1937 and applicable DGCA CAR.
It further
imposed a financial penalty of Rs Three lakh on the Director-in-flight services
of Air India for failing to discharge her duties as per applicable DGCA CAR.
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