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The violation was flagged during the airline’s internal compliance checks, prompting Air India to report the lapse to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Air India Flight | Representative Image
Air India has grounded one of its Airbus A320 aircraft and suspended multiple staff members after discovering that the plane operated several flights in November without a valid Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC), a mandatory document required for any commercial aircraft to fly.
The violation was flagged during the airline’s internal compliance checks, prompting Air India to report the lapse to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Calling the episode “regrettable,” the airline said all personnel linked to the oversight have been taken off duty pending a detailed inquiry.
What ARC Lapse Means
An ARC revalidates an aircraft’s Certificate of Airworthiness and is issued only after a thorough annual review of maintenance logs, physical inspections, and compliance with safety standards.
Despite the ARC having expired, the A320 in question continued operating multiple commercial flights, a breach that neither external audits nor regular checks detected.
DGCA: Aircraft Flew Eight Sectors After ARC Expired
The aviation regulator confirmed that the aircraft completed eight revenue flights despite its certificate having lapsed.
It noted that while Air India has delegated authority to issue ARCs for its fleet, special provisions were made during the Vistara-Air India merger.
Under that arrangement, the DGCA was to handle the first ARC renewals for all 70 Vistara aircraft.
While 69 aircraft successfully received renewed ARCs, the 70th was grounded for an engine replacement, during which time its certificate expired.
The aircraft, however, was returned to service after the engine change without the ARC being renewed.
The DGCA has now ordered the aircraft grounded, initiated a formal investigation, and de-rostered the involved personnel. It also confirmed that the ARC renewal process is currently underway.
Air India said it is conducting its own investigation to identify operational gaps and implement corrective measures to prevent similar violations. The airline emphasized that it is fully cooperating with the DGCA.
The lapse comes amid heightened global scrutiny of aviation safety and maintenance practices.
Airbus recently disclosed a new quality issue involving fuselage panels, and worldwide fleets resumed operations only after software patches were issued to fix a flight-control vulnerability.
Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. December 02, 2025, 6:13 PM IST
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