4 min readNew DelhiFeb 13, 2026 09:17 PM IST
Tata group airline Air India has been fined Rs 1 crore by aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for operating an aircraft with an expired airworthiness certificate in November, according to sources. The aircraft—an Airbus A320 bearing registration VT-TQN—operated eight commercial flights on an expired Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC), before Air India voluntarily informed the DGCA about the gaffe on November 26. Operating an aircraft on a lapsed airworthiness license is typically categorised as a serious safety lapse.
Early December, Air India expressed regret over the incident, saying that it suspended all personnel involved in the decision to operate the aircraft while its ARC was not valid. In addition to the DGCA probe into the matter, the airline also conducted an internal investigation into the matter on the regulator’s instructions. Following the tragic crash of Air India flight AI 171 in Ahmedabad on June 12, the carrier has been at the receiving end of a number of regulatory actions by the DGCA, many of which were a result of voluntary disclosures by the airline.
On Friday, the airline said that all identified gaps have been addressed “satisfactorily”. “Air India acknowledges the receipt of a DGCA order in relation to an incident that was voluntarily reported back in 2025. All identified gaps have since been satisfactorily addressed and shared with the authority. Air India remains unwavering in its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of operational integrity and safety,” an Air India spokesperson said.
According to flight tracking data, the three-year-old aircraft—which earlier flew with Vistara—operated its last flight of November on November 25, which suggests that it was grounded immediately following Air India’s disclosure to the regulator. The data also shows that the aircraft operated eight flights on November 24-25. Before that, it was under maintenance for a month, having operated its last flight on a valid ARC on October 24. The aircraft re-entered service on December 10, after its ARC was duly renewed.
The ARC is issued annually after a comprehensive review of the aircraft’s maintenance records, physical condition, and verification of compliance with all airworthiness standards. It acts as a validation of the aircraft’s main Certificate of Airworthiness.
Usually, Air India issues ARCs for the aircraft it operates under delegated authority. These are issued by Air India’s in-house Continuing Airworthiness Management Organization (CAMO). But in view of Vistara’s merger into Air India in November 2024, it was decided that the DGCA, and not Air India, will do the first ARC renewal for all 70 aircraft that were in Vistara’s fleet.
“Till date ARC for all the sixty-nine aircraft has been issued by the DGCA after satisfactory compliance by operator (Air India). In respect of the seventieth aircraft, the operator filed application with the DGCA and subsequently the aircraft was grounded for the engine change. During this period the ARC expired, however the aircraft was released for service after engine change,” the DGCA had said on December 2.
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“On 26.11.2025 operator informed DGCA about the flying of the aircraft on the expired ARC for eight revenue sectors. DGCA has instituted investigation and instructed the operator to ground the aircraft. ARC process is in progress. Concerned personnel have been de-rostered with immediate effect pending investigation. Air India on the instructions of DGCA is carrying out internal investigation to identify deficiencies in their system and put corrective measures in place to prevent such failures from occurring in future,” the DGCA had said at the time.
In September, Air India CEO said in a message to staff that in the aftermath of the AI 171 crash, the airline was being “more transparent than usual” when it came to reporting incidents and events—no matter how small—with its aircraft, which has resulted in a perception of increased incidents.
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