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Air India is under regulatory scrutiny after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that several executives have been de-rostered for allowing an aircraft with an expired airworthiness review certificate (ARC) to operate eight commercial flights. 

The lapse, which occurred on November 24 and 25, involved a 164-seater Airbus A320 and has triggered a full investigation by the aviation regulator, reported Business Standard.

How the Safety Lapse Went Unnoticed

According to the DGCA, the aircraft in question continued flying despite its ARC having expired while it was grounded for an engine change. Under aviation rules, the ARC is a crucial safety document issued annually after a detailed examination of an aircraft’s maintenance records, physical condition, and compliance with all airworthiness standards. 

It validates the aircraft’s primary Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A) and is essential before an aircraft can be deployed on any commercial route.

Air India’s Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation (CAMO) is ordinarily responsible for issuing and renewing ARCs under delegated authority. However, the process changed following the 2024 merger of Vistara into Air India.

Post-merger, the DGCA decided it would directly review and renew the first ARC of all 70 Vistara aircraft, rather than delegating this responsibility to the airline’s own CAMO. This oversight mechanism was introduced to ensure uniformity during the fleet integration process.

The ARC That Expired Mid-Process

Of the 70 Vistara aircraft, the DGCA has issued ARCs for 69 planes after they met compliance requirements. The 70th aircraft followed a different path. The operator submitted an ARC application to the DGCA, but before renewal could be completed, the aircraft was grounded for an engine replacement. During this downtime, the ARC quietly expired.

Once the engine work was complete, the aircraft was mistakenly released back into service without a renewed ARC. It went on to fly eight revenue-generating sectors over two days, a clear regulatory violation.

The oversight came to light only on November,26, when Air India informed the DGCA about the aircraft’s deployment with an invalid certificate.

DGCA Orders Grounding and Starts Investigation

The DGCA, terming the matter a serious breach of safety protocol, has launched a detailed investigation. The regulator has ordered the immediate grounding of the aircraft and placed all relevant personnel off duty until further notice.

“Concerned personnel have been de-rostered with immediate effect pending investigation,” the regulator said. It added that Air India has been instructed to conduct its own internal review to identify process failures and introduce stronger safeguards.

The DGCA has also confirmed that the renewal process for the aircraft’s ARC is now underway.

Why This Matters: Airworthiness Certificates Explained

The ARC is not merely a formality; it is a core component of an aircraft’s safety clearance regime. Without a valid ARC, an aircraft is not considered airworthy, regardless of whether its mechanical systems appear functional.

Aviation experts note that lapses of this nature highlight systemic vulnerabilities in documentation checks, particularly during fleet transitions or intensive maintenance schedules.

This incident comes months after the catastrophic June 12 crash of Air India’s AI171 flight from Ahmedabad to London. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off, killing 241 passengers and 19 people on the ground, leaving only one survivor. Another 81 individuals sustained injuries on the ground.

While unrelated to the ARC lapse, the tragedy has placed Air India’s operational discipline under heightened public and regulatory scrutiny. Safety advocates argue that even administrative oversights, such as failure to renew mandatory certificates, can signal deeper structural issues within airline management.

Air India is now conducting a system-wide review of its internal airworthiness procedures.  The DGCA stated that it expects the airline to implement tighter safeguards to prevent such lapses from recurring.