AI may lose maintenance licence

Mumbai: The very rule under which Air India got the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)'s approval to maintain and repair its aircraft (and other aircraft) stands to be scrapped on December 31. While all the other airlines in India have got themselves approved under the new rule that will replace the old one, the Maharaja, for some reason, has been sleeping on it.
One of the repercussions of its procrastination would be the loss of rights to claim insurance in the event of an accident/incident. The rules passed by Parliament require all Indian-registered aircraft to be maintained by bodies approved by the DGCA. The existing rule governing this, is Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section 2 Series E Part I.
On January 26, 2005, DGCA came out with a new rule to replace it called CAR 145 -- based upon rules in Europe claiming they were of international standard -- and instructed all aircraft maintenance organisations to move over to the new regime.
The deadline for all airlines was March 31, 2007. "Though Air India missed the deadline, the certification of its maintenance organisation was valid under the old rule. The problem is that, on December 31, the old rule stands to be scrapped and will cease to exist for commercial aircraft operators," said a source.
31/12/07 Manju V/Times of India

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Categories: Air India - International Dec 2007, NACIL Dec 2007