Air India Express delayed Airbus engine fix, forged records: Report

Air India Express, in a statement, said that it had acknowledged the lapse to the Indian regulator and implemented "remedial action and preventive measures."

In Short

• Air India Express admitted lapse; took remedial, preventive actions
• DGCA found engine part change not done within prescribed time
• Said records were allegedly altered to show false compliance

Aviation regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reprimanded Air India Express, Air India's low-cost carrier, in March for failing to promptly replace engine components on an Airbus A320, as mandated by the European Union's aviation safety authority, and for falsifying records to appear compliant, according to a confidential government memo reviewed by news agency Reuters.

In a statement, the airline told Reuters that it had acknowledged the lapse and implemented "remedial action and preventive measures."

The confidential memo, sent to the airline in March and accessed by Reuters, said that surveillance by the DGCA revealed the parts modification "was not complied" on an engine of an Airbus A320 "within the prescribed time limit".

"In order to show that the work has been carried out within the prescribed limits, the AMOS records have apparently been altered/forged," the memo added, referring to the Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Operating System software used by airlines to manage maintenance and airworthiness.

Air India Express said that its technical team missed the scheduled implementation date for parts replacement due to the migration of records on its monitoring software, and fixed the problem soon after it was identified.

It did not give dates of compliance or directly address DGCA's comment about records being altered, but said that after the March memo it took "necessary administrative actions", which included removing the quality manager from the person's position and suspending the deputy continuing airworthiness manager.

The serious breach comes as the Tata-owned airline group faces intense scrutiny in the wake of June’s fatal crash of an Air India Dreamliner in Ahmedabad — the worst aviation disaster in a decade — which killed 241 of the 242 people onboard. Though unrelated, the crash has spotlighted broader safety oversight and procedural adherence within the airline group.

The March safety lapse preceded the crash by several months but is part of a string of violations flagged by the regulator this year. In addition to the Air India Express engine issue, the DGCA warned Air India for flying three Airbus aircraft with overdue escape slide checks and separately cited “serious violations” of pilot duty timing rules in June.

The VT-ATD aircraft typically serves domestic routes and short international sectors, including Dubai and Muscat. The engine component changes were mandated due to “manufacturing deficiencies” that posed potential safety risks, according to the EU’s aviation safety agency.

A former Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau official, Vibhuti Singh, called the lapse “a grave mistake,” emphasising that delayed engine fixes — especially when operating near restricted airspace or over water — dramatically increase operational risk.

Government data shows that in 2023, authorities issued safety warnings or fines in 23 cases, with 11 involving either Air India or Air India Express.

Since acquiring Air India in 2022, the Tata Group has aimed to turn it into a global carrier of high repute. However, the airline continues to battle recurring customer complaints about aircraft conditions and onboard services, further complicated now by a deepening safety crisis.

- Ends
With input from Reuters