Aviation regulator DGCA has imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Vistara for letting an improperly trained pilot land an aircraft with passengers on board at the Indore airport, officials said on Thursday.
The pilot, who was the first officer on the flight, landed the aircraft at the Indore airport recently without first getting the requisite training in a simulator, they said.
"This was a serious violation endangering lives of the passengers on board," an officials noted.
A first officer has to be first trained to land an aircraft in a simulator before he or she can land a plane with passengers on board. A captain is also trained at a simulator before he or she can allow the first officer to land the aircraft.
The captain as well as the first officer of the Indore flight did not train in a simulator but the first officer was still allowed to conduct the landing at the airport, officials said. A fine of Rs 10 lakh has therefore been levied on Vistara for granting landing clearance to the first officer without conducting requisite training, they added.
A Vistara spokesperson said a supervised take off and landing (STOL) was conducted on a flight to Indore in August 2021 under the supervision of an experienced captain.
"The pilots were adequately trained and in possession of valid STOL certificates issued by their previous employer for which Vistara claimed the credit," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Vistara voluntarily reported to regulatory authorities that the same training to be conducted again in line with regulatory requirements was missed, leading to the regrettable violation, the spokesperson said.
"Vistara always puts the safety of passengers and staff as its top priority," the spokesperson noted.
According to DGCA rules, a new employer has to conduct simulator training again before allowing a first officer to conduct supervised landing of aircraft.
Published 02 June 2022, 05:55 IST