MUMBAI- The DGCA issued a ₹10 lakh penalty on Aksa Air (QP) for violating passenger boarding restrictions.
Seven passengers were denied boarding on flight QP1437 from Bangalore to Pune on September 6, 2024.
Akasa Air Fines DGCA
The airline’s original aircraft had foreign object damage, necessitating the deployment of a second plane. The substitute aircraft had nine non-operational seats, therefore seven passengers were unable to board their scheduled 8:50 PM trip.
Akasa Air arranged for alternate travel on IndiGo Airlines (6E) route 6E116, which departs at 10:40 PM. The rescheduling caused the passengers’ travel to be delayed by more than an hour. The airline failed to give mandatory compensation to the impacted passengers.
The DGCA found Akasa Air in violation of Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) Section-3, Series M, Part IV. These regulations require airlines to reimburse passengers denied boarding due to operational concerns.
The regulator’s judgment determined that Akasa Air violated passenger rights by failing to provide compensation despite shifting passengers to an alternative trip.
Official Statement
Akasa Air reacted to DGCA’s ₹10 lakh penalty on December 24, 2024, indicating they will improve practices to meet regulatory criteria.
The airline is under intensified DGCA investigation for maintenance and certification failures. The DGCA issued a notice for delayed operations manual updates and questioned its Aircraft Maintenance Engineer after a spot check identified safety concerns.
On August 30, an inspection at Bangalore International Airport discovered that aircraft VT-YAY had an improperly installed nose wheel tire pressure indicator sensor. The maintenance personnel failed to secure the sensor system properly.
The current actions come after a ₹30 lakh punishment levied in November for pilot training failures. DGCA detected these infractions during a May audit, resulting in an August show cause letter.
Akasa Pilot Complaint to DGCA
In a separate incident, Akasa Air pilots reported safety violations and managerial intimidation to DGCA, the aviation authority. The pilots claim that management threatened them with disciplinary action for reporting sick during the holiday period of December 25 to January 1.
Captain Gracious Flyod ordered sick pilots to continue flight responsibilities, which violated aviation safety protocols. This policy jeopardizes crew and passenger safety by forcing unwell pilots to fly.
The formal complaint to the DGCA follows earlier training issues raised by Akasa pilots with the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Aviation A2Z was the first to expose these flaws, exposing the airline’s operating concerns.