DGCA slams Air India Express for delay in engine fix, alleges forged maintenance logs: Report

India’s aviation regulator issued a sharp reprimand to Air India Express earlier this year for failing to replace engine parts on an Airbus A320 within the mandatory deadline, and for allegedly altering maintenance records to appear compliant.

The violations, outlined in a confidential memo reviewed by Reuters, were flagged during a routine audit conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in October 2024.

Business Today could not independently verify these claims. 

According to the DGCA, the airline did not carry out the component replacement within the time mandated by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The memo also noted that the airline's Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Operating System (AMOS) records had “apparently been altered/forged” to falsely indicate compliance.

In response, Air India Express told Reuters that it had acknowledged the lapse and taken “remedial action and preventive measures.” The airline attributed the delay to ongoing record migration within its monitoring software, which caused its technical team to miss the deadline. It said the issue was fixed shortly after it was discovered.

While the airline did not directly address the DGCA’s finding of record falsification, it confirmed that “necessary administrative actions” were taken after the March memo. This included the removal of the quality manager and suspension of the deputy continuing airworthiness manager.

A source familiar with the audit told Reuters that the aircraft in question made only a few flights after the scheduled engine part replacement date had passed. However, experts say the lapse is serious regardless of flight volume.

“Such issues should be fixed immediately. It's a grave mistake. The risk increases when you are flying over sea or near restricted airspace,” said Vibhuti Singh, a former legal expert with India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

(With Reuters inputs)