Air India pilots sick leaves rise after AI 171 crash DGCA issues show cause notices for safety breaches

In the aftermath of the tragic accident of the Air India AI 171 trip on June 12, 2025, a noticeable increase in pathological leaves between its pilots was observed. Boeing 787-8, which went to London, was destroyed to a building shortly after leaving from Ahmed Abad, which led to 260 deaths, including 241 passengers and 19 individuals on the ground. Miscellaneous, one of the passengers survived.

“Air India reported a slight increase in the sick papers reported by the pilots in all fleets in the wake of the AI-171 accident. In 16.06.2025, a total of 112 pilots was reached from patients, consisting of 51 leaders (P1) and 61 first officers (P2).” This increase in absenteeism has sparked attention to the psychological impact of shattering the airline employees.

After collapse, the mental health of the pilots has ended with renewed attention. Mohoul pointed to a circular in February 2023 issued by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which directed airlines to provide specialized training to assist aviation crews and air traffic monitors to identify and treat mental health problems.

Mohoul noted that organizations were notified of a POSP program (PSP), saying: “In addition, to monitor mental health, we also listen to the PSP organizations for their employees.” This program aims to help the aviation crew and air traffic monitors to identify and deal with mental health problems.

DGCA notification to Air India

On Thursday, 24 July, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued four notifications that caused India regarding alleged violations related to the duty of the cabin staff, comfort standards, training protocols, and operational procedures.

The sources told the PTI news agency that the notifications follow the voluntary disclosure provided by the airline to the organizer on June 20 and 21. Features of the cause of the offer were officially released on July 23. These developments come amid Air India organizational audit in recent months.

Air India confirmed that it had received notifications from DGCA, which is related to the information that the airline voluntarily shares over the past year. In an official statement, the airline said that it will respond during the specified deadline and repeat its commitment to maintain safety standards for both the crew and passengers.

A company spokesman said: “We acknowledge the receipt of these notifications from the organizer related to some of the voluntary disclosures that were conducted over the past year by Air India.” “We will respond to the notifications mentioned during the specified period. We are still committed to the safety of our crew and passengers.”

The sources added that three of the four notifications relate to three, specifically, to the convenience of the compartment crew, and the necessary duty on four long trips-was operated on April 27 and one on April 28 and May 2. This was among the issues that were voluntarily unveiled by Air India on June 20.