Blitz Bureau
Air India is navigating its worst crisis since privatisation. On June 12 its plane Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (Flight AI 171) with 242 passengers on board, including the crew, crashed shortly after take off from Ahmedabad. Except for one, all passengers died and there were several casualties on ground as well.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a full-scale investigation into this incident. It has mandated thorough safety inspections across the 787 and 777 Dreamliner fleet. This has resulted in cancellation of 83 wide‑body flights, a 15 per cent cut in international operations, and adjustments to narrow‑body schedules through mid‑July. While all reports in the crash point towards engine failure as the cause, a definitive answer is still awaited in the ongoing probe.
Whither Tata legacy?
When Air India was handed over to the Tata Group by the Government on January 27, 2022, it was a proud and nostalgic moment for all. It was the scion of the group, J R D Tata, who had given birth to this airline in 1932 in the form of Tata Air Services. Its name was changed to Air India in 1946 and shortly after Independence, in 1953, the Government took over the reins of the airline.
Air India’s girth increased but so did its financial woes. It was on the verge of disaster with a debt of Rs 60,000 crore when the Tata Group won the bid in 2021 to acquire it back after 69 years of Government rule.
Tata’s high standards of excellence, its commitment to quality and its sparkling reputation in all fields led all to hail the homecoming of Air India as the start of its achche din. But clearly, with the demise of Ratan Tata who stood for all that the group had come to mean for millions of people across the world, the new guard is not in the same league as the old one. Or how else does one explain the kind of things that have been happening at Air India since it became a Tata entity?
DGCA warnings
This is not the first time that Air India has had an earful from DGCA. In fact, warnings had started soon after the operations came under the control of the Tata Group. The first major post-privatisation compliance embarrassment came in November 2022 when there was an incident related to an unruly passenger on a New York – Delhi flight. DGCA had then issued a show-cause notice to Air India for failing to report the incident properly and asked why the pilot and crew did not follow standard protocol.
Barely 10 months later, in September 2023, there was an incident of falsification of internal safety audits and DGCA had to suspend Air India’s Chief of Flight Safety. It was found that “some inspections had been carried out on paper only”.
Two month later, in November 2023, there was another incident involving an unruly passenger and DGCA had to again warn about stricter civil aviation requirements.
Then came a serious incident of violation of fatigue risk management in March 2024. DGCA had to issue a show-cause notice for breach of flight duty norms for long-haul flights. It was found that pilots had not been given adequate rest as mandated under flight rules.
The same month DGCA imposed a penalty of Rs 8 crore on Air India which was one of the highest ever monetary penalties for operational violations in India and this was the first major formal punitive action post the Tata takeover.
In May 2024, there were severe delays on two San Francisco-bound flights due to crew mismanagement. DGCA issued another show-cause notice for flight delays causing passenger discomfort and poor communication.
Just two days before the June 12 crash, on June 10, DGCA had found that Air India had overdue safety checks. It was found that Air India had flown multiple Airbus aircraft with escape slides that had not been inspected for over three months. A show-cause notice was issued.
Even after the crash, on June 21, Air India was found to have scheduled pilots beyond duty limits on Bengaluru–London flights. DGCA issued new warning and asked the airline to explain its rostering failures. Remedial training for scheduling staff was ordered and three officials suspended from duty.
Phoenix must rise
The list of regulatory warnings shows the extent of complacency in the Air India system and the all-pervasive lackadaisical attitude which is so uncharacteristic of the Tata Group. The impact on the image is showing. Widespread cancellations and re-bookings have eroded short‑term passenger confidence. Airspace rerouting has increased costs and travel time. Travel agents report booking hesitancy, even for domestic trips, particularly on older Boeing models .
That said, it is not the end. DGCA’s intense scrutiny and regulatory responses should become catalysts for genuine safety reform. If the airline can institutionalise these lessons, fully cooperate with investigations, and align Tata’s modernisation with operational discipline, it can emerge stronger — regaining passenger confidence, unlocking rehabilitation of its public image, and solidifying its competitive position globally.