After IndiGo, DGCA Fines Vistara Rs 10 Lakh For Allowing 'Improperly' Trained Pilot To Land Flight

The pilot, who was the first officer on the flight, landed the aircraft at the Indore airport recently without getting the requisite training in a simulator, noted officials.

New Delhi: In a latest violation of guidelines, Vistara airlines has been imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh by the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The airline has been fined for letting an improperly trained pilot land an aircraft with passengers on board at the Indore airport, officials said on Thursday, reported news agency PTI. 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, officials clarified. "This was a serious violation endangering lives of the passengers on board," said the officials, as reported by PTI .

It is important that a first officer is first trained to land an aircraft in a simulator before he or she can land a plane with passengers on board. Also, a captain is trained at a simulator before he can give approval to 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 noted. In view of this, Rs 10 lakh has been levied as a fine on Vistara for granting landing clearance to the first officer without conducting requisite training, as per the officials.

However, it is not clear where the aircraft took off from and when exactly this happened.

On May 7,  DGCA had imposed a Rs 5 lakh fine on IndiGo airline for denying boarding to a specially-abled child at Ranchi airport. IndiGo had on May 9 said the boy was denied permission to board the Ranchi-Hyderabad flight as he was visibly in panic. As the boy was prohibited from boarding, his parents who were accompanying him also decided not to enter the plane.

On May 9, the airline said the boy was denied permission to board the Ranchi-Hyderabad flight as he was "visibly in panic". The airline would not appeal against the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) decision to impose the fine, said Dutta.

The airline has announced conducting an internal case study on how to better handle passengers with disabilities and special needs, especially when they are feeling distressed, informed CEO Ronojoy Dutta, according to news agency PTI report.