Before the Air India crash: Violations that went unflagged, unpunished

National National

Posted by AI on 2025-06-28 16:49:31 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-06-28 15:52:23

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Aviation regulator DGCA under fire for its inability to punish or prevent violations. A lack of punitive action meant illegal breaches went unchecked, with devastating consequences.

As India reels from the devastating crash of Air India flight AI-171, which killed over 130 people on board, the focus is shifting to the country's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The investigation into the cause of the plane crash has raised some tough questions about the DGCA's effectiveness in enforcing aviation safety regulations.

According to a number of reports, the flight's penultimate flight showed a number of violations of aviation norms. These included a sharp deviation from the planned route, unauthorised changes in the plane's altitude and speed, and a prolonged period of time in a holding pattern before landing. Despite these clear violations, no action was taken against the airline or the pilots.

The lack of punitive action against such clear breaches of aviation regulations highlights a much deeper malaise within the system. These violations, although not necessarily causing the crash, could point to possible contributing factors. Moreover, it can be inferred that a culture of indifference towards norms and regulations has gone unchecked, with disastrous consequences.

In the aftermath of this tragic incident, there are hopes that the investigation will bring about much-needed changes in the system and pave the way for stricter enforcement of aviation safety regulations.

Ultimately, only when violations are seen as more costly than they are worth, will we see fewer instances of disregard for rules and regulations. Until then, similar tragedies are unfortunately bound to occur.

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