The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a strict warning to Air India for wrongly using a special relaxation in pilot duty time rules.

The exemption was granted in April 2025 after Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines on April 24. This closure forced many West-bound flights to take longer routes, increasing flying time. To help airlines cope, the DGCA allowed an extension in pilots’ duty hours for flights affected by the closure.

However, according to a report by The Times of India, Air India applied this relaxation to two Bengaluru–London flights on May 16 and 17 that did not pass through Pakistan’s airspace. By doing this, the airline was able to reduce the number of cockpit crew from three to two and keep pilots flying longer than usual.

A senior DGCA official reportedly called this an act of “over-smartness” and took serious note of the violation. The special relaxation on duty hours ended on the same day that flight AI-171 crashed in Ahmedabad.

Nine days after the crash, the DGCA issued a show-cause notice to Air India over the two Bengaluru–London flights. The regulator later said the airline’s explanation was unsatisfactory and did not address the safety lapses. It also held Air India CEO Campbell Wilson responsible for ensuring such rules are followed.

In its formal warning, the DGCA told Wilson to take greater care in complying with civil aviation rules and to ensure there are no violations in the future.

Air India said the issue happened because of a different interpretation of the exemption granted after Pakistan’s airspace closure. The airline claimed that once it received clarification from the DGCA, it corrected the crew rostering and has been fully compliant with the rules since then.