Kamal Ghorui
In a regulatory intervention following an operational lapse, aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked Air India to take corrective measures after the airline operated a Delhi–Vancouver flight with an aircraft that was not approved for the route, a senior official said on Thursday.Action has also been initiated against an airline official over the incident, the official at DGCA told PTI.The Air India Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft, which took off for Vancouver on March 19, was recalled to Delhi after remaining airborne for over seven hours when it was found that the flight was cleared only for operation by a Boeing 777-300 ER.The regulator subsequently sought a report from the airline and has now directed it to put in place safeguards to prevent a recurrence of such lapses. Specific details of the action taken could not be immediately ascertained.There was no immediate response from Air India, as reported PTI.Sources had earlier indicated on March 20 that an apparent lapse in updating operational requirement lists for Canada-bound services may have led to the deployment of the incorrect aircraft.In a statement issued the same day, the airline said, “Air India flight AI185, operating from Delhi to Vancouver on 19 March, returned to Delhi due to an operational issue and in line with established standard operating procedures. The aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew had disembarked.”
