DGCA Grounds Four VSR Ventures Aircraft Following Safety Audit

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered to ground four Learjet 40/45 aircraft of VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd under an extensive safety audit, as per the reports of the Economic Times. The audit showed that various compliance lapses were observed in airworthiness, air safety, and flight operations. The regulator’s action on 24 February 2026 follows the crash of the Baramati Learjet 45 on 28 January 2026 that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four other passengers.

Audit Results and Lapses in Safety

In a regulatory press release, the DGCA informed that a multidisciplinary audit team, comprising airworthiness, air safety, and flight operation specialists, conducted a thorough review of the records, manuals, maintenance procedures, and operation control systems of VSR Ventures. The audit was initiated after the Baramati crash involving a Learjet 45XR (VT-SSK), which was on a charter flight from Mumbai when it went down during a landing attempt, possibly amid low-visibility conditions. As per the reports of the ET. Infra and The Hindu, the team noticed the lack of adherence to accepted procedures in such areas as the records of further maintenance of airworthiness, maintenance control, and operation planning. In its statement, the DGCA specified that Learjet 40/45 aircraft registered as VT-VRA, VT-VRS, VT-VRV, and VT-TRI have been grounded until airworthiness standards are restored, and that the company must submit a root cause analysis addressing identified lapses. VSR Ventures has been provided with deficiency reporting forms to enable the regulator to assess corrective measures. VSR Ventures has a fleet of approximately 17 aircraft, including eight Learjet mid-size business jets. The grounding of four such aircraft and the loss of one in the Baramati Crash, the events immensely limit the charter capacity of the operator, as compliance shortfalls are corrected.

Administrative and Regulatory Response

As per the reports of The Hindu, the ruling by the DGCA indicates greater regulatory oversight of non-scheduled carriers due to the recent accidents of smaller business jets and air ambulances. Besides the Baramati audit, the Aviation regulator is also auditing all non-scheduled operators in phases to determine their adherence to the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), airworthiness standards, and safety management systems. The regulator’s action also dovetails with oversight issues identified by international bodies. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had previously suspended VSR Ventures’ Third Country Operator (TCO) certificate due to compliance concerns, which subsequently informed DGCA’s earlier surveillance and audit actions. This highlights the interdependency of the international aviation regulation with regard to safety and documentation requirements.

Key Grounding Details

Crash Fallout Spurs Broader Regulatory Tightening

The DGCA results of non-conformity of airworthiness, flight safety, and operations have not only contributed to the aircraft groundings, but also to the new safety standards of non-scheduled operators. Secondly, as per the reports of ET. Infra, under Phase-1 of the special safety audit, there has been the introduction of intensified random audits, top-leadership accountability on systemic non-compliance, and penalties. This includes a maximum of five-year flight duty penalties through the suspension of a licence. The above measures are an indication of the pressure by the regulator to enhance the standards of compliance in the charter and non-scheduled aviation sector as a result of recent fatal accidents.

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