Scheduling and rostering lapses at Air India continue five months after being reprimanded by the regulator on this issue. In the latest instance, a co-pilot and a senior captain have been taken off flying duty after the airline found they operated a flight each last month with a lapsed English Language Proficiency (ELP) licence in one case. And in the other, a co-pilot did so without undergoing mandatory corrective training after not being able to clear the bi-annual pilot proficiency check (PPC) – instrument rating (IR) test. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating these lapses and has sought a report from the airline. AI is learnt to have asked pilots to ensure they meet all licence requirements.The co-pilot had not been able to clear his latest IR-PPC check. While this is not an out of the ordinary occurrence, pilots have to mandatorily undergo corrective training and get their proficiency rechecked to a satisfactory level of performance before they can fly again. In this case, however, the Airbus A320 co-pilot operated a flight without the same and the lapse is learnt to being viewed very seriously by authorities. On this issue, an AI spokesperson said: “An instance of a first officer operating a flight after an unsatisfactory recurrent training check was detected by the training team. As soon as the error came to our notice, a crew scheduler and the pilot involved were off-rostered. Strong disciplinary proceedings have been initiated and the same has been duly reported to the regulator, DGCA.”In the other case, a senior commander was the pilot-in-command of an A320 flight despite a lapsed ELP licence. A valid ELP is among the requirements mandatory for pilots to exercise the privilege of their licence, or in simple terms fly.On this issue, AI said: “An instance of a senior pilot operating a flight with a lapsed ELP licence was detected. As soon as the error came to our notice, the senior pilot involved was off-rostered and the matter is being investigated. The same has been duly reported to the regulator, DGCA.”Senior pilots say these lapses raise questions over the oversight in AI to ensure only fully compliant pilots are rostered to operate flights.Just a week after the June 12 Ahmedabad crash, the DGCA had found serious issues with AI rostering. While ordering immediate removal of three senior officials increase of crew scheduling following “lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements,” the DGCA had warned AI that “any future violation of crew scheduling norms, licensing, or flight time limitations will attract strict enforcement action, including but not limited to penalties, license suspension, or withdrawal of operator permissions as applicable.”Basically, the regulator had gone to the extent of shutting down AI if lapses on crew scheduling continue.The June 20 DGCA order on the three officials had said: “Repeated and serious violations voluntarily disclosed by Air India concerning flight crew being scheduled and operated despite lapses in licensing, rest, and recency requirements… point to systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability.”