Air India faces probe over immigration lapse

The Centre has summoned Air India CEO over an alleged immigration lapse involving three foreign nationals who reportedly left India without completing mandatory departure immigration clearance at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, sources said.

According to sources, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has sought an explanation from the airline over the incident, calling it a “serious security and immigration-related lapse.”

The ministry has issued a show-cause notice to Air India seeking details on the circumstances surrounding the alleged violation of mandatory immigration procedures.

Earlier, on September 7, Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran reaffirmed the airline’s focus on safety, customer trust, operational excellence and financial sustainability as it enters its next phase of transformation.

According to industry sources, Chandrasekaran, speaking at an internal meeting, stressed that restoring trust in Air India must remain the airline’s foremost priority. He said this would require world-class processes, rigorous compliance and personal accountability across the organisation.

“The most important thing Air India should aspire to have is trust in the minds of people. Air India must be known for caring about safety above everything else. Our safety record should not just match the best airlines in the world; it should be better than the best," sources quoted him as saying.

Chandrasekaran, along with outgoing CEO and MD Campbell Wilson and incoming CEO and MD Tewolde Gebremariam, addressed employees at a town hall meeting on Monday.

Thanking employees for their contributions over the past four years, Chandrasekaran said Air India holds a unique position in the country and has a special place in the hearts of Indians worldwide.

“For me, bringing Air India back to the Tata Group is one of the most important milestones of my career, a very, very significant event. Air India belongs to a billion people. It is not just another business,” he said, adding, “It is probably the only business that a billion people talk about, have views on, criticise fiercely and appreciate at times. But one thing we should always remember is that all these one billion people are rooting for Air India. That is our biggest strength," he said.