India’s aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), issued a directive on 20 June 2025, ordering Air India to immediately relieve three senior officials, including a divisional vice president, from all duties linked to crew scheduling and rostering.
This follows the tragic crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner near Ahmedabad Airport on 12 June, which was en route to London Gatwick, claiming the lives of all but one onboard and several others at the crash site.
The DGCA also mandated that the Tata Group-owned airline launch disciplinary action against the officials. The order highlighted “repeated and serious violations” uncovered during a review of Air India’s transition from the ARMS to the CAE Flight and Crew Management System. These breaches involved scheduling flight crew despite deficiencies in licensing, rest periods, and training recency.
In response, Air India confirmed compliance with the DGCA’s directive on Saturday. “We have actioned the regulator’s order and are fully committed to upholding safety protocols and standard practices,” an Air India spokesperson said. The airline added that its Chief Operations Officer would temporarily oversee the Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC) to ensure adherence to regulations.
The Ahmedabad crash is under scrutiny by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), with support from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Concurrently, separate compliance investigations into Air India and Boeing are underway, with the DGCA recently inspecting 26 of Air India’s Boeing 787 aircraft.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation reported that the AAIB began its probe on 12 June, recovering the aircraft’s combined Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) on 13 and 16 June, respectively. “Site documentation and evidence collection are complete, with further analysis ongoing,” the ministry noted.
Speculation has arisen about sending the heavily damaged black box to the US for data extraction, as post-crash fire damage has made local analysis unfeasible. The ministry clarified that the AAIB would decide on the decoding location after evaluating technical, safety, and security factors. It urged stakeholders to avoid conjecture, stressing the need for a professional and thorough investigation.