India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has taken stern action against Air India after the airline was found operating commercial flights with an aircraft whose airworthiness certification had expired. The lapse has led to the immediate grounding of the aircraft and the launch of a formal investigation.
Details of the Regulatory Breach
The incident came to light after Air India itself reported the violation to the DGCA on November 26, 2025. The airline admitted that the aircraft in question had flown eight revenue-generating sectors with a lapsed Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC). An ARC is a crucial annual document that validates an aircraft's primary Certificate of Airworthiness. It is issued only after a thorough review of maintenance logs, the physical state of the plane, and verification of compliance with all mandated safety standards.
Operating an aircraft without a valid ARC is a serious safety breach, as it potentially endangers passengers and crew on board. In response, the DGCA has ordered the aircraft to be grounded. Furthermore, concerned Air India personnel have been "de-roastered" with immediate effect pending the outcome of the investigation.
Root Cause and Merger Complications
In an official statement, the DGCA provided context for the lapse, linking it to the complex merger of Vistara into Air India in 2024. As part of the merger process, it was decided that the DGCA itself would handle the first ARC renewal for all 70 aircraft transitioning from Vistara to Air India.
The regulator stated that it had successfully issued ARCs for 69 of these aircraft after satisfactory compliance checks. For the 70th aircraft, Air India had filed an application, but the plane was subsequently grounded for an engine change. During this period of maintenance, the existing ARC expired. The oversight occurred when the aircraft was released back into service after the engine work without a valid ARC in place.
Ongoing Investigation and Past Issues
The DGCA has instructed Air India to conduct an internal investigation to pinpoint systemic deficiencies and implement corrective measures to prevent future recurrences. This is not an isolated incident of regulatory friction for the Tata Group-owned airline. In recent months, the DGCA has reprimanded Air India for issues related to faulty crew rostering and scheduling.
Just a few weeks prior, an Air India pilot was found to have operated a flight without completing mandatory corrective training. This followed the pilot's inability to clear the bi-annual Pilot Proficiency Check (PPC) - Instrument Rating (IR) test. While failing a check is not uncommon, regulations strictly require pilots to undergo retraining and demonstrate satisfactory performance before resuming flying duties.
The DGCA's latest action underscores its heightened scrutiny of Air India's operational and safety protocols. Comments from Air India on the lapsed ARC issue have been sought and are currently awaited.
