India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), flagged Air India Express in March for failing to carry out crucial engine part replacements on one of its Airbus A320 aircraft, despite safety directives from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
The issue came to light as India’s aviation sector faces mounting scrutiny in the wake of a fatal Air India crash in Ahmedabad.
Airline Accused of Falsifying Maintenance Logs
A Reuters investigation based on official documents revealed that the low-cost carrier under Tata Group not only skipped the required repairs but also manipulated maintenance records to falsely indicate compliance.
The airline operates a fleet of over 115 planes and handles approximately 500 daily flights to more than 50 domestic and international destinations.
Specific Airbus Aircraft VT-ATD Under Watch
On March 18, the DGCA raised red flags regarding aircraft VT-ATD, an Airbus A320 that operates on both domestic and international routes such as Dubai and Muscat. The DGCA had earlier pulled up the parent airline, Air India, for operating three Airbus jets with overdue emergency escape slide checks.
Additionally, the regulator reprimanded the airline again in June for serious violations of pilot duty hour regulations.
Safety Risk Warning by DGCA
The DGCA’s official notice stated, “This condition, if not corrected, could lead to failure of affected parts, possibly resulting in high energy debris release, with consequent damage to, and reduced control of, the aeroplane.”
Issue Traced Back to Global Engine Manufacturer Warning
The safety concern stems from CFM International’s LEAP-1A engines, where EASA, in 2023, found manufacturing defects in components like seals and rotating parts. CFM International is a joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines.
EASA had issued a directive mandating all airlines using the affected engines to replace the flawed components within a fixed deadline.
Falsified Software Records Raised Alarm
A confidential government memo from March 2024, reviewed by Reuters, showed that Air India Express failed to conduct the required replacements in time. To make matters worse, the airline allegedly tampered with AMOS, the maintenance tracking software used industry-wide, to show that the job had been completed when it hadn’t.
Airline Admits Fault, Vows Correction
According to Reuters, Air India Express acknowledged the lapse and assured that corrective measures are now in place to prevent recurrence.
