New Delhi: The troubles of Air India, which has become a part of the Tata Group, are not decreasing. Aviation regulator DGCA has imposed a huge fine of Rs 90 lakh on Air India for operating a flight with a non-qualified crew. Along with this, Air India's operations director and training director have also been fined Rs 6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh respectively for this lapse. DGCA warned the concerned pilot that such an incident should not happen in the future. Earlier in March, Air India was fined Rs 80 lakh for not following the rules related to the rest period of pilots.

DGCA gave this information in a release. It said that Air India Limited operated the flight operated by a non-trainer line captain. He was paired with a 'non-line-release' first officer. The regulator has found this to be a serious 'scheduling' incident. After the incident came to light through a voluntary report submitted by the airline, the director investigated the airline's operators, which included scrutiny of documents, etc.

Threats to safety

Based on the investigation, it was prima facie found that several officials and employees had violated regulatory provisions, which could have a significant impact on safety, the release said. The DGCA has imposed a fine of Rs 90 lakh on Air India, Rs 6 lakh on the airline's director of operations, and Rs 3 lakh on the airline's director of training for the violations.