NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday withdrew the line training captain (LTC) approval for a senior pilot of Akasa and also directed corrective training for him. As pilot in command (PIC), this captain had on March 1, 2024, carried operated a Bagdogra-Bengaluru flight (QP 1851) which had a hard landing at the destination. The airline closed this with just a counselling session only without any corrective training for the PIC, the regulator said in its order Monday.
This came to light during an audit of Akasa conducted at its Mumbai office on Oct 10. Subsequently a show cause was issued to the pilot and the airline. The regulator found the airline’s reply unsatisfactory and has now issue its order in the case. The pilot has been directed to undergo “corrective training simulator session of two hours to cover stabilisation criteria…. (And) specific training on hazards of attempting takeoff after applying reverser and cancelling go-around decision after applying TOGA (take off go around).”
The DGCA has also withdrawn the pilot’s LTC approval and short take off and landing “with immediate effect and till further orders.” LTC approval allows a providing practical training on commercial flights to trainee pilots.
In the past few months, Akasa has been in the DGCA’s line of fire for its training. The regulator had on Dec 27, 2024, suspended the director training and director operations of Akasa for six months each and “advised” the airline to nominate “suitable candidate(s)”, meaning find replacements for these crucial positions. The DGCA order then had pointed out that the two officials have failed to train personnel adequately and that “repeated lapses/violations have been found pertaining to training.” The airline had after this order said, “…Safety is of utmost importance, and we continuously strive to pursue the highest standards of safety.’’
Training at Akasa has off late emerged as a concern when the airline sought exemption from low visibility operations at Kolkata and Bengaluru this winter possibly due to lack of pilots trained to carry out the same. “For an airline with 26 aircraft in its fleet and over 840 pilots that is in its third year of operations, this request indicated that there’s something amiss in its training,” people in the know had said recently.
One of India’s youngest airline, Akasa has been flying through turbulence for some time now. The airline has ordered Boeing 737 MAX aircraft which the troubled US aerospace major has not been able to deliver as per schedule. This hit the money airlines generate from sale and lease back of planes. The airline has been looking for funding after making losses — something not out of the ordinary for any professionally-run carrier in the first few years of operations as getting break even needs some time and scale.
While it has only 26 planes, Akasa has over 840 pilots — way more than it actually requires as of now. With a majority of pilots just sitting at home with no flying or training and minimal pay, there is serious unrest among them.
