Air India Express Faces DGCA Warning Over Engine Repair Delays

Air India Express operates as a Tata Group-controlled subsidiary of Air India.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a warning to Air India Express in March. The airline did not replace engine parts on an Airbus A320 as required by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. They also submitted false records to show compliance.

About Air India Express

Air India Express is a subsidiary of Air India. It is controlled by the Tata Group. The airline has a large fleet. This fleet includes over 115 aircraft. These planes serve more than 50 destinations. They operate 500 daily flights.

Safety Concerns and Warnings

The DGCA found issues with Air India Express’s Airbus on March 18. They also warned Air India, the parent company. Air India was operating three Airbus aircraft. These aircraft had overdue escape slide inspections. There were also significant breaches of pilot duty hour regulations in June.

Air India Express responded to these warnings. They acknowledged the oversight. They confirmed that they have implemented corrective and preventive measures.

Investigation and Scrutiny

The scrutiny of Air India has increased. This follows the Boeing Dreamliner accident in Ahmedabad in June. This accident is known as the most severe aviation disaster of the decade. It is still under investigation.

Airbus Engine Fix Issue

In 2023, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency found safety concerns. These concerns were with CFM International LEAP-1A engines. They issued guidelines to replace specific components. These components included engine seals and rotating parts. The reason was manufacturing irregularities.

The agency’s notice stated that failure to correct these issues could lead to part failure. This could result in high energy debris release. It could damage the aeroplane and reduce control.

A confidential government memo from March, accessed by Reuters, showed that DGCA monitoring found non-compliance. An Air India Express plane did not meet the parts modification requirements. These requirements were for an Airbus A320 engine within the specified timeframe.

The memo also highlighted that AMOS records were seemingly altered. AMOS is the software system used by airlines. It is for maintenance and airworthiness management.

Air India Express explained that their technical team missed the scheduled parts replacement deadline. This was due to data migration in their monitoring software. They confirmed that the issue was fixed after discovery.

Not a New Issue

The issue was first detected during a DGCA inspection in October 2023. The aircraft completed only limited flights. This was after the scheduled replacement of CFM engine components was due.

“Such issues should be fixed immediately. It’s a grave mistake. The risk increases when flying over the sea or near restricted airspace,” said Vibhuti Singh. She is a former legal expert at India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

Official data presented to parliament in February revealed that regulatory bodies issued warnings or penalties to airlines. These were for 23 instances of safety violations in the previous year. Air India Express accounted for three cases. Air India was responsible for eight.

Despite Air India’s significant expansion of international routes recently, the airline continues to receive regular customer complaints. Passengers frequently share images on social media platforms. These images depict deteriorating cabin conditions, including:

• Unclean seats
• Damaged armrests
• Malfunctioning entertainment units
• Unsanitary interiors