DGCA Investigates Air India Airbus A320 Operating Without Valid Safety Certificate

DGCA Launches Investigation into Air India Safety Lapse

India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has initiated a formal probe into Air India after the flag carrier operated a commercial aircraft with an expired safety certificate. According to reporting by Reuters, the airline flew an Airbus A320 on multiple revenue flights in late November 2025 without a valid Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC), a mandatory document that validates an aircraft’s fitness to fly.

The incident has triggered immediate regulatory action, including the grounding of the specific aircraft and the de-rostering of engineering personnel responsible for the oversight. This development places renewed scrutiny on Air India’s safety protocols as the airline navigates a complex merger with Vistara.

Incident Timeline and Immediate Fallout

The violation involved an Airbus A320, registered as VT-TQN, which was reportedly one of the aircraft recently inducted into Air India’s fleet from Vistara. According to details summarized in reports by The Economic Times, the aircraft operated eight revenue flights over a two-day period between November 24 and November 25, 2025.

The lapse went undetected until November 26, when Air India’s internal checks identified the expired certificate. The airline subsequently informed the regulator voluntarily. In response, the DGCA ordered the aircraft to be grounded immediately. Both the airline and the regulator have launched separate investigations to determine how the aircraft was cleared for service.

In a statement regarding the incident, an Air India spokesperson acknowledged the failure:

“An incident involving one of our aircraft operating without an airworthiness review certificate is regrettable. As soon as this came to our notice, it was duly reported to the DGCA.”

The Role of the Vistara Merger

The operational oversight appears to be linked to the logistical challenges of merging Vistara’s fleet into Air India. Reports indicate that the aircraft in question was the final plane in a batch of 70 former Vistara aircraft undergoing induction. The ARC expired while the plane was grounded for a scheduled engine change. Once the maintenance was completed, engineering staff allegedly released the aircraft for flight without verifying that the ARC had been renewed, a critical step in the post-maintenance release process.

Understanding the Regulatory Violation

Under India’s Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), specifically Section 2, Series F, an Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC) is non-negotiable for commercial operations. It functions as an annual “health check” that validates the aircraft’s Certificate of Airworthiness. Operating without this document is a violation of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and technically renders the aircraft unairworthy for the duration of those flights.

The DGCA has taken a strict stance on such violations, viewing them as “Level 1” safety lapses because they bypass the fundamental checks and balances designed to ensure passenger safety.

Broader Safety Concerns

This incident is the latest in a series of regulatory hurdles for Air India. The airline has faced consistent scrutiny regarding its safety culture throughout 2024 and 2025. According to reporting by The Hindu, a major DGCA audit conducted in July 2025 flagged 51 safety lapses within the airline’s operations. These findings included deficiencies in pilot training, improper use of simulators, and issues with crew rostering that potentially contributed to fatigue.

The regulator has previously imposed financial penalties on the carrier for similar operational breaches, including fines for pilot qualification issues and violations of flight duty time limitations.

AirPro News analysis

While Air India has characterized this event as a regrettable error discovered through internal checks, the incident highlights a significant vulnerability in the airline’s transition phase. The integration of Vistara, a process involving the unification of fleets, personnel, and digital systems, creates a high-risk environment for administrative and operational slips.

The core issue here may not be solely human error but a failure of digital safeguards. In a robust safety management system, maintenance software should theoretically prevent an aircraft with an expired ARC from being rostered for revenue flights. The fact that the plane completed eight sectors suggests a potential gap in the digital “hard stops” that are supposed to prevent such regulatory breaches. As the DGCA investigation proceeds, the focus will likely shift from the individual engineers to the systemic safeguards that failed to catch the expiration.

Sources: Reuters, The Economic Times, The Hindu, DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements