DGCA Probes Air India Plane Without Certification

New Delhi, Dec 2 (PTI) Aviation watchdog DGCA is probing the incident of Air India operating an A320 neo plane without having a requisite airworthiness certification on at least eight routes, and the personnel concerned have been de-rostered till completion of the investigation.

On the instructions of the regulator, Air India is also carrying out an internal investigation to identify deficiencies in their system and put corrective measures in place to prevent such failures from occurring in future, a statement said on Tuesday.

The airline informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on November 26 about the flying of the A320 aircraft with the expired Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC) on eight revenue sectors.

ARC is issued annually in respect of an aircraft after a comprehensive review of its maintenance records, physical condition and verification of compliance with all airworthiness standards. It is a validation of an aircraft's main Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A).

Under the norms, Air India has been delegated the powers to issue the ARC for an aircraft.


In the statement, DGCA said it has instituted an investigation and instructed the operator to ground the aircraft. The ARC process is in progress, and the personnel concerned have been de-rostered with immediate effect pending investigation.

According to the statement, it was decided that the first ARC renewal post-merger of Vistara with Air India will be done by the DGCA.

The aircraft involved in the incident belonged to the erstwhile Vistara, which was merged with the Tata Group-owned Vistara in November 2024.

"Till date, ARC for all sixty-nine aircraft has been issued by the DGCA after satisfactory compliance by operator. In respect of the seventieth aircraft, the operator filed application with the DGCA and subsequently the aircraft was grounded for the engine change.

"During this period the ARC expired, however, the aircraft was released for service after engine change," the statement said.