India’s aviation safety watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has imposed a fine of Rs 1 crore on Tata Group-owned Air India for operating an Airbus A320neo aircraft without the requisite airworthiness certification on at least eight routes last year, according to sources.

The regulator had on December 2 last year said it was probing the incident involving operations of an A320neo plane without having the necessary airworthiness certification on multiple sectors.

Sources said on Friday that the DGCA has now slapped a Rs 1 crore penalty on the airline for the violations.

"Air India acknowledges the receipt of a DGCA order in relation to an incident that was voluntarily reported back in 2025. All identified gaps have since been satisfactorily addressed and shared with the authority," the airline said in a statement.

On November 26, 2025, the airline informed the DGCA about the flying of the A320 aircraft with the expired airworthiness review certificate (ARC) on eight revenue sectors.

ARC is issued annually in respect of an aircraft after a comprehensive review of its maintenance records, physical condition and verification of compliance with all airworthiness standards. It is a validation of an aircraft's main certificate of airworthiness.

Under the norms, Air India has been delegated the powers to issue the ARC for an aircraft.

Tata Group-owned Air India has previously faced regulatory actions for certain violations as well.