Aviation regulator DGCA has placed two senior executives of AirAsia India under suspension for three months over alleged safety violations. The action was taken on a complaint by an AirAsia India’s former pilot, who runs a YouTube channel called Flying Beast, for alleged violations of safety norms by the low-cost airline.
Mr Taneja alleged in the video that the airline has asked its pilots to do 98 per cent of landings in “Flap 3” mode, which allows it to save fuel. He said if a pilot does not do 98 per cent of landings in “Flap 3” mode, the airline considers it a violation of its standard operating procedure (SOP).
Mr. Taneja gave the example of the Imphal airport, where the plane descends more steeply as compared to other airports when approaching for landing. He said when an aircraft is coming down steeply, it needs to have a drag so that it remains slow, and in these circumstances a pilot has to do a “Flap full” landing.
Advocate Yeshwant Shenoy, one of Capt Taneja’s lawyers said: “Pilots are always afraid to raise issues, especially in these times of job insecurities due to the pandemic’s impact on the airline industry. Had pilots stood up for safety issues, Calicut crash could certainly have been avoided.” Capt Taneja’s spokesperson said: “It’s a clear win for a whistleblower against a a big organisation.’’
“We had issued a show cause notice to two AirAsia India executives — Head of Operations Manish Uppal and Head of Flight Safety Mukesh Nema — in June only. It has been decided now to suspend them for a period of three months,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official said.
On June 15, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Twitter that it had taken note of the concerns raised by some stakeholders “against a particular airline and its approach to safety”. “DGCA has already started an investigation into the issues flagged and shall take appropriate action based on the outcome of the said investigation,” it added.
Senior DGCA officials had confirmed on June 15 itself that AirAsia India was under investigation after Taneja’s allegations.
