Air India bars pilot after warning from UAE for flying grounded flight

February 11, 2016

Sharjah, Feb 11: Air India pilots flew back to India a plane grounded by authorities at Sharjah airport, prompting the national carrier to bar a senior captain from operating international flights for violating regulations.

The incident drew a sharp response from UAE’s general civil aviation authority (GCAA), which threatened to ban the aircraft from entering the country’s airspace. The carrier later rushed a senior official to Dubai for damage control, an AI official said.

The incident came weeks after a technician died after being sucked into the engine of an AI plane at Mumbai airport.

In the latest incident on January 26, AI’s flight 967 (Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram-Sharjah) arrived in Sharjah and was inspected by local authorities who found the plane’s cargo net damaged, a nick in one of the tyres and engine blades.

“While these shortcomings were within the maintenance limit, they weren’t documented properly. The official instructed the AI captain not to depart till formal rectification and proper documentation with referral numbers was made,” the AI official said.

The captain, who had completed his duty hours, left for the hotel without informing the pilots who were to operate the return flight that the plane had been grounded. Oblivious of these facts, the other pilots operated the return flight.

“It was only after the plane was airborne and entering Muscat airspace that airport authorities realised the ‘grounded’ plane had taken off. Unlike cars, airplanes do not have keys and regulatory authorities expect pilots to be responsible (for their acts),” the official said.

AI management didn’t know about the incident till January 31 when the G CA A sought an explanation from the airline’ s safety department. An AI spokesperson said the inspection and observation of the Sharjah authorities were “routine ”.

“The pilot was advised to ensure observations were attended to before departure. There was a change of crew at Sharjah and all the observations were attended to by the maintenance agency,” the spokesperson said, adding that action against the captain “is an internal administrative matter”.

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First India aviation to seize pilot license till further investigation is complete
with loss of salary if guilty proved send him behind bar. If Air India management unwilling to take and proper action then the out come will be bad.

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Mangaluru’s public transport revolution: 100 new govt electric buses to end private ‘trip-cutting’

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: Public transport in Mangaluru is set for a state-led transformation as the government moves to deploy 100 new electric govt buses to replace unreliable private services. The initiative aims to provide a dependable alternative to private operators who have been frequently "cutting trips," leaving thousands of commuters stranded.

The announcement was made by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV during a public phone-in session. The move specifically targets routes where private bus service has become erratic, ensuring that citizens no longer have to rely on a fluctuating private sector for their daily commute.

Restoring the Govt Presence

The transport crisis was brought to the forefront by Ramayya, a resident of Bajal, who highlighted a growing trend of private buses skipping morning and night trips. With the previous KSRTC (govt) services discontinued, residents have been left without a fallback option.

To fix this, the DC confirmed that the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme will bring 100 government-owned electric buses to the city:

• Phased Deployment: The first 50 of the new 100 government buses are scheduled to arrive by March 2026.

• State Infrastructure: Two new government depots, including one at Mudipu, are being prepared for operations.

• Recruitment: The state has already begun training a new batch of government bus drivers to ensure the fleet is operational the moment it arrives.

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Mangaluru NRI returning from Saudi Arabia arrested over Instagram post

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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