The Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has fined Air India Rs 98 lakh for operating flights with unqualified crew members, according to a statement issued on August 23.

In addition, the civil aviation authority fined Air India's director of operations and director of training Rs 6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, respectively.

According to the DGCA, Air India flew a flight with a non-trainer line captain and a non-line-released first officer, which the regulator deemed a major scheduling issue with substantial safety implications.

The incident was brought to the DGCA's attention through a voluntary report submitted by Air India on July 10, according to the regulator, who then conducted an investigation and discovered deficiencies and multiple violations of regulatory provisions by several post holders and staff, which could have a significant impact on safety.

"The concerned pilot has been urged to take caution in order to avoid such incidents in the future. M/s Air India Limited flew a flight commanded by a non-trainer line captain and a non-line-released first officer, which the regulator deemed a major scheduling event with substantial safety implications," the DGCA said in a statement.

On July 22, the aviation authority issued a show-cause notice to the flight commander involved in the July 10 incident and Air India, but the airline and pilot did not respond satisfactorily.

In March 2024, the DGCA fined Air India Rs 80 lakhs for violating Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) and the fatigue management system (FMS) of flight crew. The sanction was issued because the carrier's response to an earlier show cause notice was considered "non-satisfactory."

This is Air India's twelfth fine levied by the DGCA in the previous 18 months. The airline has been fined around Rs 5 crore for a variety of reasons, including a Rs 1.10 crore fine for Air India over allegations of safety violations on certain long-range terrain critical routes and a Rs 10 lakh fine for failing to comply with rules regarding passenger facilities.