Air India Express Admits to Engine Maintenance Oversight Amid Regulatory Scrutiny

Air India Express Acknowledges Maintenance Error

New Delhi: In response to a stern warning from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Air India Express has acknowledged a mistake regarding the replacement of engine components on one of its Airbus A320 planes. The airline has since rectified the issue and implemented both corrective and preventive measures.

The airline's statement, shared with a news agency, indicated that an Airworthiness Directive (AD) issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in May 2023 applied to two engines in their fleet.

While one engine was updated within the required timeframe, the other was overlooked due to a problem with the airline's record-keeping software.

"The technical team missed the alert for one engine primarily due to the migration of records on the monitoring software platform," the airline explained.

They confirmed that the necessary modifications were made promptly once the oversight was recognized, and compliance for the second engine was achieved within the deadline.

"We have admitted our mistake to the DGCA and have taken immediate remedial actions, including administrative measures against those responsible," the statement added.

This admission follows a confidential memo from the DGCA, which accused Air India Express of not replacing engine parts within the required timeframe and allegedly falsifying maintenance records.

These violations were uncovered during a routine DGCA audit in October 2024 and were formally communicated to the airline in March of this year.

The DGCA memo highlighted that the modification of parts was not completed on one Airbus A320 engine within the mandated limits.

It also raised alarms about potential tampering with records in the airline's Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Operating System (AMOS).

This safety lapse occurred before the tragic June crash of an Air India Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, which resulted in the deaths of 241 out of 242 individuals on board, marking the deadliest aviation incident in a decade.

Currently, Air India Express is expanding its fleet and integrating with AIX Connect (previously AirAsia India), reaffirming its commitment to maintaining the highest safety and regulatory standards.