Aviation regulator DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has granted conditional approval to Air India to resume simulator training for the next 30 days, which will enable the airline to initiate license renewals and certifications on simulators.
Air India’s ATO license or Approved Training Organization license was suspended last week due to issues found during an inspection. Thereafter, the airline had to suspend the license renewal process at both simulators – the Boeing simulator in Mumbai and the Airbus simulator in Hyderabad.
Aviation regulator officials had identified problems with the quality manual and therefore ordered the airline to suspend operations until further orders. Additionally, the company also reportedly failed to provide proper protocols to ensure “preventive maintenance checks” on these two simulators.
Also Read: ‘The Vista’: Air India gets a makeover with new logo and new aircraft livery
The relaxation comes after the airline presented a new standard of procedure (SoP) for preventive controls and also showed progress in updating the quality manual. The DGCA officials will now conduct an internal audit in the next 30 days and submit the report to the regulator.
Additionally, Air India has entered into an interline partnership with Bangkok Airways, enabling Air India guests to conveniently connect via Air India’s gateways in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore to and from ten destinations in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia en route from Bangkok Airways to use network.
The scope of the agreement between the two airlines includes the implementation of Inter Airline Through Check-In (IATCI), which allows guests to receive their boarding passes at the first departure point for all legs of the journey on a single ticket and have their baggage checked. to their final destination.
Also Read: CCI gives green signal for Air India-Vistara merger
Air India guests booking connecting flights with Bangkok Airways will also receive complimentary access to Bangkok Airways’ boutique lounges and courtesy corners at available airports, regardless of the cabin class they fly. Air India and Bangkok Airways have also entered into a special prorate agreement that allows both airlines to charge “through rates” for routes covering each other’s networks.
Air India also recently unveiled its new brand identity and aircraft livery. The new logo ‘The Vista’ was unveiled after the airline worked on it for over 15 months. It will replace the old “Red Swan and Orange Spokes” logo. Travelers will see the new look from December 2023 when the first Airbus A350 joins the fleet.
India’s largest conglomerate Tata took over the management and control of Air India from the government in January 2022 after 69 years. Through the divestment, the government sold its 100 percent stake in the state-owned national airline.
