Air India is under investigation and one of its aircraft is grounded after it flew eight commercial services without a valid airworthiness review certificate, a document issued annually that ensures compliance with safety standards.
India’s aviation safety regulator confirmed it has grounded the jet and removed multiple staff members from duty while it examines how the lapse occurred.
While the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) did not name the aircraft type but its news release’s title referenced the registration code of an Airbus A320, and a person with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed the case in fact concerned the single-aisle jet.
An airworthiness review certificate, renewed annually, confirms an aircraft’s maintenance records, physical condition and regulatory compliance, and is required for a jet to be legally dispatched.
The airline said it reported the breach to the DGCA on 26 November and suspended employees who cleared the aircraft to operate.
“An incident involving one of our aircraft operating without an airworthiness review certificate is regrettable,” an Air India spokesperson said. “As soon as this came to our notice, it was duly reported to the DGCA and all personnel associated with the decision have been placed under suspension, pending further review.”
The aircraft involved – an A320 registered VT-TQN and formerly part of the Vistara fleet – had been undergoing an engine replacement when its certificate expired.
According to the DGCA, the jet was inadvertently returned to service after the maintenance work, and subsequently completed eight flights on 24 and 25 November before an engineer identified the missing documentation during routine checks.
Flight-tracking data shows the aircraft last flew on 25 November.
Ordinarily, Air India issues these certificates itself under delegated authority, through its continuing airworthiness management organisation.
But after Vistara’s merger into Air India, the DGCA decided that the first certificate renewal for all 70 of Vistara’s aircraft would be handled directly by the regulator.
The DGCA said it has so far cleared 69 of the 70 jets. In the case of the final aircraft, the renewal application had been submitted but not completed when the engine work began.
The regulator said it has launched a formal inquiry and ordered the airline to “plug gaps in its system”, adding that the certificate renewal process for the aircraft is underway. It also described the incident as a serious safety breach.
Flying without a valid airworthiness certificate is treated as a major offence in India and can attract penalties or action against senior officials. Such lapses can also raise concerns for aircraft lessors and insurers, who typically require strict adherence to airworthiness documentation.
The episode adds to a challenging year for Air India. The carrier is still dealing with the fallout from a fatal Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash in June that killed 260 people, as well as mounting losses linked to Pakistan’s continued closure of its airspace to Indian airlines.
The DGCA has separately warned the airline several times this year over issues including crew fatigue management and training standards, and a recent government audit recorded 51 safety deficiencies, ranging from unapproved simulators to poor rostering practices.
Air India said it had begun an internal investigation in line with DGCA instructions and would “put corrective measures in place to prevent such failures from occurring in future”.
The company added: “Air India remains unwavering in its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of operational integrity and safety, and any deviation from mandated compliance protocols is treated with utmost seriousness and is unacceptable to the organisation.”
The DGCA’s inquiry will determine responsibility for the lapse and review whether the airline’s procedures for managing airworthiness documentation were adequately followed.
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