THE EDITOR – Air India on Tuesday said that it suspended the personnel involved in allowing an Airbus A320 to fly multiple times in November without a valid Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC), calling the lapse ‘regrettable’.
“Air India remains unwavering in its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of operational integrity and safety, and any deviation from mandated compliance protocols is treated with utmost seriousness and is unacceptable to the organisation. An incident involving one of our aircraft operating without an airworthiness review certificate is regrettable,” an Air India spokesperson said in Business Today on 2 December 2025.
“As soon as this came to our notice, it was duly reported to the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), and all personnel associated with the decision have been placed under suspension, pending further review. We have initiated a comprehensive internal investigation and are fully cooperating with the regulator.”
News agency ANI, citing sources, reported that the A320 aircraft was operated for many flights in November without a “valid review certificate” in violation of Air India’s safety and security norms. They said the breach was flagged by the airline’s internal monitoring system and not through any external audit.
The ARC is a critical document verifying whether an aircraft meets all maintenance and safety requirements for commercial operations.
The A320 had completed several flights while its ARC had expired, even though the certificate is required annually to validate the aircraft’s primary Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A). The ARC is issued only after a full review of maintenance records, physical inspections, and compliance with airworthiness standards.
The DGCA said Air India is delegated the authority to issue ARCs for its fleet. Following the Vistara–Air India merger, it had been decided in 2024 that the first ARC renewal for all 70 Vistara aircraft would be issued directly by the regulator. Of these, ARCs for 69 aircraft had already been granted after satisfactory compliance.
For the 70th aircraft, the operator had applied for ARC renewal, but the plane was grounded for an engine change. The regulator said, “During this period, the ARC expired; however, the aircraft was released for service after engine change.”
Both Air India and the DGCA are now conducting parallel investigations into how the aircraft was operated without a valid ARC and how the lapse went unnoticed during the release-to-service process.
