Air India allowed an Airbus A320 to operate eight commercial flights without a mandatory airworthiness certificate, an internal investigation has found — a violation that the carrier acknowledged resulted from deep-rooted lapses in oversight, documentation and basic safety discipline, according to a report reviewed by Reuters.
The aircraft operated routes between New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad on November 24 and 25 despite lacking a valid Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC), a document issued annually only after regulators confirm that an aircraft meets required safety standards. Air India’s report said engineers and pilots failed to check required paperwork at multiple stages, allowing the plane to carry passengers even though its permit had expired.
“Critical information was not shared with all relevant stakeholders, and opportunities for timely intervention were missed,” the December 6 report stated. Signed by Chief Operations Officer Captain Basil Kwauk and submitted to Indian aviation authorities, the findings call for major reforms to the airline’s compliance culture, communication practices and operational discipline.
The admission adds to a troubling pattern for the carrier. Air India has already faced regulatory warnings for failing to inspect emergency equipment, delaying engine part replacements, and, at times, falsifying compliance records. The airline is still reeling from its worst recent tragedy, the June crash of a Boeing Dreamliner that killed 260 people. Officials say those issues underline how urgent systemic improvements have become.
Air India described the November A320 incident as “regrettable,” saying several employees have been suspended. India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) grounded the aircraft and launched its own investigation. In a statement to Reuters, Air India said it had proactively notified the regulator, implemented immediate corrective measures and would continue strengthening its compliance systems. The DGCA and Airbus did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The internal investigation suggests the chain of failures began when both engines on the aircraft, registered VT-TQN, were replaced — after which the plane was released for a test flight without the special permit required when flying with an expired ARC. Maintenance engineers “failed to check the onboard documents,” and the oversight carried through into eight subsequent passenger flights. Pilots were also faulted for neglecting standard pre-flight checks.
On December 1, Director of Flight Operations Manish Uppal issued a warning to all pilots, reminding them to verify all documents — including navigation charts, cargo manifests and the ARC — before departure. “Non-adherence to company policy or SOPs will be viewed seriously,” he wrote.
The violations come during a turbulent period for India’s aviation sector. IndiGo, the market leader, recently canceled thousands of flights, disrupting travel nationwide and raising concerns about the dominance of IndiGo and Air India, which together control more than 90% of the market. Under DGCA rules, flying without a valid ARC can incur penalties of up to 10 million rupees ($111,201).
Air India’s investigation concluded that the A320 incident reflected “multiple latent organisational and process deficiencies.” The airline now says it intends to cultivate a culture where regulatory compliance outweighs operational expediency — a change it concedes is urgently overdue.
