Following IndiGo and SpiceJet, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has fined Vistara Rs 10 lakh. According to officials, the airline allowed an inexperienced pilot to land a flight with people aboard at Indore airport. According to them, the pilot, who was also the flight's first officer, recently landed the plane at the Indore airport without previously receiving the necessary training in a simulator.
"This was a serious violation endangering lives of the passengers on board," said an official. Before landing a plane with passengers on board, a first officer must first be taught to land an aircraft in a simulator. Before allowing the first officer to land the plane, the captain must undergo simulator training.
Officials added that even though the captain and first officer of the Indore flight did not train in a simulator, the first officer was nevertheless authorised to perform the landing at the airport. Vistara has been fined Rs 10 lakh for issuing landing clearance to the first officer without undertaking the necessary training, they added. It's unclear where the plane took off from or when this happened.
SpiceJet airlines was previously fined Rs 10 lakh by the DGCA for training its Boeing 737 Max aircraft pilots on a faulty simulator. According to sources, this move may have jeopardised flight safety. In April, the regulator issued a show-cause notice to the airline after prohibiting the pilots.
