Accountability and Aviation Safety: Can Air India Restore its Lost Glory?

India’s national carrier Air India is disintegrating quickly, betraying the popular expectations that it would get a much-needed facelift after being handed over by Tata Group. But since taking over the reins of the airlines three years ago, the private owners of Air India have miserably failed to restore its lost glory, despite the introduction of much-touted corporate culture which was visibly absent when the airline was under the control of the government.

This is evident not only from the recent tragic AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad, but also from a host of incidents that have reportedly taken place prior to it or after. Incidents of flights returning to the airport of origin or making emergency landing for technical faults have become more frequent with the Air India in recent times.

In addition, on-board services of the airline have also touched the lowest ebb with claims of insects found in food or rats being spotted on the aircraft doing the rounds. However, there is no report of the airline taking action against employees responsible for such negligence.

Air India has been in news for all the wrong reasons much before the recent tragic incident with its services from on-time performance to in-flight entertainment being widely debated, while the other carriers are offering cabins, whisper-quiet jets and other in-flight facilities. Its financial health improved significantly during FY24, two years after it was privatised, but it’s not out of the woods yet with one issue after another continuing to dog the airline.

Every time an allegation is made against the airline, the concerned authority usually doesn’t go beyond the response that the matter would be enquired, giving out a wrong message to the general public.

It is now clear that the Air India won’t be able to restore its lost glory till it fixes accountability and take safety measures whenever lapses happen. Coming down heavily on the airline, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered the removal of three Air India staff for violating rules on flight crew schedules.

According to aviation experts, schedule is very important for the safety of the fliers as the guidelines for selection of crews are set depending on the length of the flights. It’s reported that Air India often flouts the golden rule of selecting senior and experienced crew members for long flights. If found true, such irresponsibility should not be tolerated; safety can’t be compromised whatsoever.