Boeing 787 Pilots with Inadequate Training: All About the Critical Safety Audit of Air India
An official investigation uncovers recurrent gaps in the training of Air India's long-haul pilots.
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India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has identified 51 safety non-compliance findings at Air India during its annual audit in July, according to a government report accessed by Reuters. The deficiencies range from a lack of adequate training for some pilots to the use of unapproved simulators and a poor crew rostering system.
While this regular audit is not directly related to the fatal Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad last month, which killed 260 people, its findings come at a time of heightened scrutiny for the Tata Group-owned airline.
The confidential 11-page DGCA report classifies seven of the non-compliances as "Level I", indicating high severity and requiring a fix by July 30. The other 44 non-compliances must be resolved by August 23.
Training Gaps and Operational Risks
Inspectors found "recurrent training gaps" for certain pilots in the Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 fleets. Specifically, some pilots were not completing their monitoring duties (a phase of flight where they observe instrumentation without actively flying) ahead of their mandatory periodic evaluations. Air India's fleet includes 34 Boeing 787s and 23 Boeing 777s, which form the backbone of its international network.
What did the DGCA audit find at Air India?
How many lapses were detected? 51 safety findings were identified, 7 of which are classified as "Level I" (high severity).
What are the main issues? Lack of adequate training for Boeing 787/777 pilots, use of unqualified simulators for high-risk airports (Category C), and a crew rostering system that allowed flights with insufficient staff.
What was the airline's response? Air India stated it was transparent during the audit and will submit a corrective action plan to the regulator.
The report also criticized that Air India did not conduct "proper route assessments" for some Category C airports, which present challenges due to their terrain or layout. Furthermore, training to operate at these airfields was conducted with simulators that did not meet the required qualification standards. According to the DGCA, this "may account to non-consideration of safety risks during approaches to challenging airports."
Another Level I non-compliance was the breaching of flight and duty time limits. An AI-787 flight from Milan to New Delhi last month was cited as an example, having exceeded the maximum limit by 2 hours and 18 minutes.
A Culture of Non-Compliance and Air India's Response
The DGCA harshly criticized the airline's crew rostering system, which "doesn't give a hard alert" if the minimum number of crew members is not deployed on a flight. This failure resulted in at least four international flights operating with insufficient cabin crew.
Additionally, the audit noted the absence of assigned chief pilots for the Airbus A320 and Airbus A350 fleets, which, according to the report, "results in a lack of accountability, and effective monitoring of flight operations for these aircraft types."
In a statement to Reuters, Air India said it was "fully transparent" during the audit. The company added that it "will submit our response to the regulator within the stipulated time frame, along with the details of the corrective actions."
These findings add to previous notices the airline is facing for operating aircraft without checking emergency equipment, not changing engine parts on time, and alleged record-forging. The situation poses a challenge for the Tata Group, which is seeking to transform Air India into a world-class airline while grappling with structural safety issues and persistent passenger complaints about cabin conditions.
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