The pilot had allowed his female friend into the cockpit

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sent a show cause notice to Campbell Wilson, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air India and and chief of flight safety Henry Donohoe for lapses in safety management. On February 27, an incident was witnessed where a pilot let his friend inside the cockpit in violation of safety norms.

A show-cause notice has also been sent to Henry Donohoe, head of safety, security and quality operations of Tata Group-owned Air India. The crew member of the flight had complained to the DGCA that the pilot had allowed his female friend into the cockpit.

A DGCA official said on Sunday that a show-cause notice was issued to the CEO of Air India and the head of flight security on April 21 itself for not reporting the incident in time. Safety rules were violated during the flight. Apart from this, the investigation of the case has also been delayed, the official said. Both the officers have been given 15 days to respond to the notice. As of now, there is no statement from Air India in the matter.

Sources said, “The incident took place on February 27 and Campbell and Donohoe were informed about it on March 3. The first investigation by the DGCA was conducted on April 21, while Air India did not conduct any such investigation before that. Earlier this month, the DGCA directed Air India to take all crew members off the roster till the probe is completed.

The airline had said on April 21 that it took the alleged incident seriously and was looking into the matter. Notably, Unauthorized people are not allowed to enter the cockpit and when this happens it is considered a violation of the rules.