'Safety is Air India's top priority', says CEO after DGCA suspends Chief of Flight Safety

New Delhi: Air India's chief executive officer and managing director, Campbell Wilson, in an email to his colleagues said that the airline acknowledges and accepts the DGCA's finding, which is another firm reminder that the ways of working that once may have been considered acceptable are (quite correctly) no longer so.

"Safety is Air India's highest priority and, in addition to investing heavily in people, processes and systems to raise our standards to best practice, we must also uplift our culture of safety and diligence to the highest levels," said Wilson.

"Besides those investments, we are also making certain that we are plugging in to the broader industry to elevate our understanding and standards so that they are second to none," said Wislon.

"Air India was one of the foundation signatories of the IATA Safety Leadership Charter launched at the World Safety & Operations Conference in Hanoi this week, one of more than 20 major airlines to commit to strengthening commitment to achieving and maintaining the highest standards.

"Additionally, Air India is joining other members of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) in several working groups focusing on cabin safety, security, and flight safety, to discuss best practice, learn from peers and contribute to strengthening our industry," the email read.

"The requirements and expectations with respect to safety are clear. Training and advice are readily available. Consequences for tardiness and transgression are robust and should come as no surprise. I want everyone to be under no doubt that we will be applying extra focus on this area for as long as is needed to effect the necessary outcomes, and ask that you join me in reaffirming a personal and collective commitment to raising standards," the email further read.

"With training a core part of establishing a safety culture, amongst other things, I am pleased to share that the lease agreement for our new Training Academy was finalised this week. The academy will be spread over six lakh plus sq ft in Gurugram, and will cater to training requirements of pilots, cabin crew, engineers, and staff from airport operations, security, commercial, and more," said Wilson.

"A key feature of the academy will be a dedicated safety centre through which every single Air Indian, present and future, will have to pass to educate and emphasise the importance and responsibility every individual has to do their full part," he said.

"Similarly, in an effort to improve consistency, usability and effectiveness, we are also standardising Electronic Flight Bags (EFBS) across aircraft fleets and crews, as well as upgrading the software. We have already moved our B777s from fixed Class 3 EFBs to portable Class 1 iPad-based EFBS, and the validation flight for our B787 fleet was successfully conducted yesterday, paving the way for rollout on that fleet, too," he added.

Recently, the aviation watchdog, DGCA, had suspended Air India's Chief of Flight Safety for a month after an inspection found lapses in the airline's accident prevention protocol.