Airline, DGCA let off pilot despite unsafe landing; while another who stuck to SOP, grounded for a year

MUMBAI: Air India and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) top brass allegedly stepped in to protect a pilot who willfully jeopardized the lives of passengers when landing a Delhi-Hong Kong flight early this year. In another similar incident, an Air India pilot who followed the safety norms to correct an unsafe approach and carry out a go-around for a safe landing was grounded for close to a year. The pilot who endangered lives was back to flying in three months.
The two cases highlight the arbitrary manner in which certain incidents that have a bearing on flight safety are handled.
“No pilot should be under the fear of being grounded for taking corrective action. But Air India and DGCA’s biased handling to these two Hong Kong incidents sends a different message,” said a senior commander requesting anonymity.