The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has opened a formal inquiry into Air India after the airline reported that one of its aircraft completed eight revenue flights while its Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC) was no longer valid.
A statement from the Ministry of Civil Aviation explained that Air India is authorised to issue ARCs for its fleet after conducting an annual examination of maintenance documentation, the physical state of the aircraft, and compliance with regulatory airworthiness norms.
The ARC functions as an endorsement of the aircraft’s primary Certificate of Airworthiness, confirming that it continues to meet mandatory safety and maintenance standards.
After Vistara merged with Air India in 2024, the DGCA assumed responsibility for performing the first ARC renewal for all seventy former Vistara aircraft. The regulator has already issued renewed ARCs for 69 of these aircraft after verifying that the airline met the required conditions.
The remaining aircraft was grounded for an engine replacement shortly after Air India submitted its renewal request. During the downtime, the ARC lapsed, yet the aircraft was cleared to return to service once the engine work was completed.
On 26 November 2025, Air India notified the DGCA that the aircraft had operated eight commercial flights while its ARC was expired, leading the regulator to launch an immediate investigation and order the grounding of the aircraft. The Ministry confirmed that the renewal procedure for the aircraft’s ARC is currently in progress.
Discussion about this post