DGCA IMPOSES A ₹10 LAKH FINE ON VISTARA

NEW DELHI: Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday imposed a fine of ₹10 lakh on Vistara for allowing a co-pilot to land the aircraft in Indore without the requisite training in a simulator, people aware of the matter said. “This is a serious violation endangering lives of the passengers on-board. ₹10 lakh penalty has been levied on the airline for the said lapse,” a DGCA official said, adding that the airline violated take-off and landing clearance.

In a statement, Vistara said it was a “regrettable violation” and that the airline always puts the safety of passengers and staff “as its top priority”. “A supervised take off and landing (STOL) was conducted on a flight to Indore in August 2021 under the supervision of an experienced captain. The pilots were adequately trained and in possession of valid STOL certificates issued by their previous employer for which Vistara claimed the credit,” a spokesperson said.

Vistara added that it “voluntarily reported to regulatory authorities that the same training which was to be conducted again in line with regulatory requirements was missed, leading to the regrettable violation”.

The DGCA official cited above said a passenger aircraft’s co-pilot, also called the first officer, has to undergo simulator training for landing before they can do so with an aircraft with passengers onboard. The captain is also required to have completed training in a simulator to authorise the first officer to land the aircraft.