DGCA issues show-cause notice to Akasa Air for violation of operating manual provisions

Mumbai, Dec 17 (PTI) Aviation regulator DGCA has issued a show-cause notice to Alkasa Air for violating norms related to the airline’s operating manual, sources said.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has made certain findings and has issued a notice to the airline’s flight operations team seeking clarification, an Alkasa Air spokesman said in an interview.

So far this month, the regulator has issued at least two show-cause notices to the airline, which will begin operations in August 2022.

Sources told PTI that the regulator found irregularities in the operating manual, which needs to be revised every six months.

Citing a submission from SNV Aviation Pvt Ltd, which operates Alkasa Air, the regulator said the revision cycle of the operations manual has exceeded the six-month cycle, which is in violation of certain provisions of the Civil Aviation R (CAR). source.

The show-cause notice dated December 16 also mentioned that the airline’s director of flight operations failed to ensure compliance with CAR regulations, sources said, adding that the airline has been asked to show cause as to why appropriate action should not be taken for violations.

“DGCA has made certain findings and has issued a clarification notice to Akasa Air’s flight operations team. As always, we are working closely with DGCA to clarify this issue and strengthen our protocols as required by the regulator .” an aviation spokesperson said in a statement.

On December 9, the regulator issued a show-cause notice to an aircraft maintenance engineer at Akasa Air for substandard (maintenance) standards and certification.

Akasa Air, which currently has a fleet of 26 aircraft, faced another headwind last week with some pilots expressing concerns about safety and training practices.

In a letter to Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on December 11, they also sought an independent inquiry into Alkasa Air’s management practices, training methods and safety standards.

Among other issues, the letter claims the airline’s claims to maintain the highest safety standards are misleading.

Alkasa Air said on December 12 that these accusations were baseless and untrue and did not represent the views of the airline’s pilots.

The airline also said in its statement that 324 pilots have joined the company since October 2023, with annualized attrition rates for this employee group being less than 1% during that period.