A two-member inspection crew of the Directorate Common of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has discovered lapses in inside security audits of Air India and the regulator is probing the matter, in accordance with officers.
When contacted, an Air India spokesperson stated that each one airways are topic to common security audits by regulators and different our bodies.
“Air India actively engages in such audits to repeatedly assess and strengthen our processes,” the spokesperson stated in a press release and added that the airline instantly addresses any issues raised with the authority involved.
In response to the inspection report submitted to the DGCA, the airline was supposed to hold out common security spot checks in varied areas of operations corresponding to cabin surveillance, cargo, ramp and cargo however throughout a random inspection of 13 security factors, the crew discovered that the airline ready false experiences in all 13 instances.
“Furthermore, when cross-verified with CCTV, recordings, auditee statements, shift register paperwork, GD (Common Declaration) checklist, passenger manifest and so on, it’s understood that each one the aforesaid 13 spot checks proven to be carried out in stations Mumbai, Goa and Delhi have been verified and have been established to haven’t been really carried out,” the two-member crew stated within the ‘Deficiency Reporting Kind’ (DRF).
The inspection discovered that these experiences “have been subsequently ready/falsified when demanded by the DGCA crew”.
Additional, the inspection report famous that these solid spot verify experiences weren’t signed by the Chief of Flight Security (CFS) who has the authority to do it.
The crew visited Air India’s workplace in Gurugram in Haryana on July 25 and 26, and after inspection, they talked about the lapses within the DRF.
When contacted, DGCA Director Common Vikram Dev Dutt stated the matter is being investigated by the regulator.
In response to the inspection report, the checklists have been bodily signed by an auditor from the High quality Administration System (QMS) Division which doesn’t fall beneath the approval and inspection scope of the DGCA and has completely different eligibility standards/qualification trade requirements.
The inspection report stated the crew didn’t discover any written communication for the delegation of authority to the auditor. “Additionally aside from verbal affirmation by CFS, there have been no e mail correspondences and authorisation by the CFS for the aforementioned sport checks,” it stated.
As per the inspection report, relating to the Pre-Flight Medical Examination (alcohol consumption check of pilots), Air India claimed that it carried out the spot verify however the crew discovered that the airline’s inside auditor “had not bodily visited the ability which is obligatory to fulfill many gadgets of the guidelines”.
“Additionally, the gear particulars and check readings haven’t been famous on the guidelines. Merely, all of the factors have been marked as passable with out really performing the spot verify,” it stated.
With respect to ramp providers, the inspection crew discovered that the airline’s spot verify checklist talked about the identify of an individual because the obligation officer however there was no such particular person within the stated shift.
“It has additionally been confirmed by the auditee division that there have been no spot checks carried out on the topic date within the stated space. Merely, all of the factors have been marked as passable with out really performing the spot verify,” it stated.
So far as spot verify in cabin surveillance was involved, the inspection crew discovered that the airline claimed to have completed it on July 16, 2023, however it was not completed and “the claimed auditor was merely travelling within the stated flight as a passenger with members of the family”.
Additional, the inspection crew stated the airline was unable to supply the flight security auditors checklist on time.
“Subsequently, the checklist was solely supplied on the finish of the inspection which included the auditors of QMS as properly whose qualification/eligibility is completely different from that stipulated within the FSM (Flight Security Handbook). Because the QMS doesn’t come beneath the ambit of DGCA, the CAR (Civil Aviation Necessities) does not specify the {qualifications} of the QMS auditors,” the crew stated.
Additional, the operator was unable to supply the precise flight security auditors’ checklist and their authorisations when sought by the inspection crew to distinguish the flight security from the QMS auditors, it added.
“All aviation corporations, together with Air India, are topic to common security audits by regulators and different our bodies each in India and abroad.
“Air India actively engages in such audits to repeatedly assess and strengthen our processes. We instantly tackle any issues raised with the authority involved,” the Air India spokesperson stated within the assertion.