Suspended Air Asia Pilot Claims Safety Violations By Airline, DGCA Initiates Probe

An Air Asia Pilot, who also runs a popular YouTube channel called Flying Beast, alleged violations of safety norms by the low-cost airliner.

On June 14, the pilot namely Gaurav Taneja tweeted that he has been suspended by Air Asia India "for standing up for safe operations of an aircraft and its passengers".

On June 15, he further posted a detailed video on YouTube titled "Reasons behind suspension from my pilot job".

In the video, Taneja alleged the airline had asked its pilots to do 98 per cent of landings in "Flap 3" mode, which allows it to save fuel. He said if a pilot does not do 98 per cent of landings in "Flap 3" mode, the airline considers it a violation of its standard operating procedure (SOP).

He said when an aircraft is coming down steeply, it needs to have a drag so that it remains slow, and in these circumstances, a pilot has to do a "Flap full" landing.

"In order to achieve targets, what would people do? They will do Flap 3 landings without giving consideration whether it is safe or unsafe. This directly impacts the passenger safety," he said in his YouTube video.

If something happens during a Flap 3 landing, then the question will be asked of the pilot if he or she cares more about saving fuel or 180 passengers' lives, Taneja went on to explain. The pilot's video raised concerned about the safety measure undertaken by the airline.

Taking note of the issue, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation took to Twitter to confirm that an investigation into the matter will be undertaken. He also assured that necessary steps will be taken following the findings of the investigation.

While investigations are underway, Air Asia is yet to release any statement on the matter.

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