DGCA orders suspension of 2 Akasa directors for lapses in pilots training

The two senior executives of the airline, in which the Rakesh Jhunjhunwala family holds stakes, have 'failed' to ensure 'compliances' with the civil aviation requirements, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in its order of December 27.

DGCA on Friday ordered the suspension of director of operations and director of training at Akasa Air for six months for alleged lapses in pilots’ training.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) while issuing suspension orders, said: "It has been found in regulatory audit conducted by DGCA on Oct 7, 2024, at M/s SNV Aviation Private Limited (Akasa Air), Mumbai, that RNP training (Approaches) is being conducted on simulators which have not been qualified for the same... which is in violation of Para 7 of CAR Section 7, Series D, Part VI." Stating that the director of operations and the director of training at Akasa Air "failed to ensure the compliances of Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR)," the DGCA said that the two officials "failed to train personnel adequately ... also repeated lapses/violation has been found pertaining to training".

The suspension of the Akasa Air director of operations and director of training came after the DGCA found the replies to the show-cause notices issued to them on October 15 and October 30, respectively, as "unsatisfactory".

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, in its orders, also advised the airline to nominate "suitable" candidates for the two positions.

Meanwhile, Akasa Air Spokesperson on the recent action by DGCA said,"Akasa Air is in receipt of an order from the DGCA dated 27th December 2024. We will continue to work with the DGCA and comply accordingly." "Safety is of utmost importance, and we continuously strive to pursue the highest standards of safety,’’ the spokesperson further said.

Earlier, the section of Akasa Air pilots raised concerns about alleged training and safety issues at the airline and sought the intervention of the civil aviation ministry, while the carrier termed the allegations as untrue.

Akasa Air, which has been flying for over two years, had faced pilot issues earlier also, and this time, the section of the pilots has also claimed that 84 pilots have resigned on one-day notice.

Akasa Air also said that 324 pilots have joined the airline since October 2023, and during this period, it has recorded an annualised attrition of less than 1 per cent for this employee group.

In a letter dated December 11, written to Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, the section of the pilots has sought an independent probe into the airline's management practices, training methods and safety standards.

*With Agency Inputs