In the wake of a devastating Air India crash that killed over 270 people, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered the immediate removal of three senior officials involved in crew scheduling. The officials, Choorah Singh (Divisional Vice President), Pinky Mittal (Chief Manager –DOPS, Crew Scheduling), and Payal Arora (Crew Scheduling – Planning) were found responsible for serious violations, including unauthorized crew pairings, breaches of licensing norms, and failure to ensure proper crew rest. The action follows a post-transition audit after Air India migrated to the CAE Flight and Crew Management System.

The DGCA’s directive, dated June 20, instructs Air India to reassign the officials to non-operational roles and to bar them from any responsibilities that may affect flight safety or compliance. The regulator also ordered internal disciplinary action against the three, with a compliance report due within 10 days. These lapses were highlighted as systemic, indicating broader flaws in the airline’s oversight mechanisms. The safety violations came to light amid heightened scrutiny following the recent crash of a London-bound Air India flight from Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff.

Separately, the DGCA issued a show-cause notice to Air India’s Accountable Manager after it was revealed that two Bengaluru-London flights (AI-133) operated on May 16 and 17, 2025, exceeded the maximum permissible flight time of 10 hours. The official has been given seven days to respond. These regulatory actions signal one of the most serious crackdowns on Air India’s operational procedures in recent years, as authorities move swiftly to address rising concerns over flight safety and compliance within the national carrier.