Air India Admits Flying Airbus A320 Without Permit Citing Compliance Loopholes.

New Delhi; December 2025: An Airbus A320 flew passengers between New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad on 24th November and 25th November without the mandatory Airworthiness Review Certificate, or ARC, a key permit issued annually by the regulator after a plane passes safety and compliance checks. This sensational revelations came immediately after an Air India investigation into why one of its Airbus planes conducted 08 commercial flights without an airworthiness permit found “systemic failures”, with the airline admitting it needed to do better on compliance, a company document showed.

Air India found engineers and pilots had failed to check the aircraft’s documents and that changes were needed to bolster compliance protocols, it said. “Critical information was not shared with all relevant stakeholders, and opportunities for timely intervention were missed“, said the internal investigation report, which was reviewed by media journalists.

“The incident highlights the need for urgent improvements in process discipline, communication, and compliance culture“, added the report dated 06th December. The findings, with a cover letter signed by Chief Operations Officer Captain Basil Kwauk, have been submitted to Indian aviation authorities, but have not been made public.

The report is a stark admission from an airline that suffered its worst disaster when a Boeing Dreamliner crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad International Airport in June killing 259 passengers with a lone survivor.

Earlier Air India had also received warnings from the watchdog for running planes without checking emergency equipment, not changing engine parts on time and forging records to show compliance, as well as other audit lapses.

In its July 2025 report, India’s aviation watchdog had found 51 safety lapses at Air India in its July audit, including lack of adequate training for some pilots, use of unapproved simulators and a poor rostering system, according to a government report seen by Media Reporters. The annual audit was however not related to the deadly Boeing 787 crash in June that killed 259 people in Ahmedabad, but its findings come as the airline faces renewed scrutiny after the accident.

The 11-page confidential audit report from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) noted seven “Level I” significant breaches which were needed to be fixed by July 30th, and 44 other non-compliances classified which were needed to be resolved by August 23rd.

Last Week, Air India have called the Airbus November incident “regrettable” and said that some people had been suspended, while India’s civil aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), ordered the aircraft to be grounded and called for an investigation.

Air India, which is owned by India’s Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, said in a statement to Media Reporters, it had proactively reported the incident to the DGCA and had “implemented immediate measures to prevent similar instances“, adding it would continue to strengthen its compliance systems.

India’s aviation sector is going through a tumultuous phase. Market leader IndiGo last week cancelled thousands of flights, disrupting air travel across the nation, and triggering debate over IndiGo and Air India’s grip on the sector with over 90% market share between them.

An ARC violation can attract a penalty of up to 10 million rupees ($111,201).

The certificate is issued annually for commercial aircraft after a comprehensive review and verification of their compliance with airworthiness standards, according to the DGCA. It is typically issued after DGCA officials conduct a physical inspection, which includes interior and exterior checks ranging from medical kits on board to tyre condition.

Air India’s investigation found that the A320, registered as VT-TQN, flew 08 passenger flights and 01 test flight with an expired ARC due to the “convergence of multiple latent organisational and process deficiencies“, the report said.

It found both the plane’s engines were changed and it was released for the test flight on November 24th without the required special flight permit, because the aircraft maintenance engineer “failed to check the onboard documents“.

Further checks on passenger flights were also missed, added the report, which was drafted after interviewing employees and reviewing internal evidence.

The Air India investigation also blamed pilots, saying those who flew the 08 flights did not comply with standard operating procedures before taking off. On December 01st, Air India’s Director Flight Operations, Manish Uppal, reminded all pilots via an internal email to check paperwork before every flight, including navigation charts, cargo manifest and the ARC, the report said. “Non-adherence to company policy or SOPs will be viewed seriously and may attract action”, the email said. The Air India investigation report added the airline now aims to foster a compliance-focused culture, “where regulatory compliance is prioritised over operational expediency“.

It is of utmost importance that, The European Union Aviation Safety Agency in 2023 issued an airworthiness directive to address a “potential unsafe condition” on CFM International LEAP-1A engines, asking for replacement of some components such as engine seals and rotating parts, saying some manufacturing deficiencies had been found.

The agency’s directive said “this condition, if not corrected, could lead to failure of affected parts, possibly resulting in high energy debris release, with consequent damage to, and reduced control of, the aeroplane.”

The Government Of India’s confidential memo in March sent to the airline, said that surveillance by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) revealed the parts modification “was not complied” on an engine of an Airbus A320 “within the prescribed time limit“.

“In order to show that the work has been carried out within the prescribed limits, the AMOS records have apparently been altered/forged“, the memo added, referring to the Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Operating System software used by airlines to manage maintenance and airworthiness.

The mandatory modification was required on Air India Express’ VT-ATD plane, the memo added. That plane typically flies on domestic routes and some international destinations such as Dubai and Muscat, according to the AirNav Radar website.

The lapse “indicates that the accountable manager has failed to ensure quality control“, it added. Air India Express had briefed the Media Reporters that its technical team missed the scheduled implementation date for parts replacement due to the migration of records on its monitoring software, and fixed the problem soon after it was identified.

It did not give dates of compliance or directly address DGCA’s comment about records being altered, but said that after the March memo it took “necessary administrative actions”, which included removing the quality manager from the person’s position and suspending the deputy continuing airworthiness manager.

Team Maverick.