The aviation regulator has slapped a Rs 10 lakh fine on Vistara — the joint venture between the Tatas and Singapore Airlines — for letting an improperly trained pilot land an aircraft with passengers on board at the Indore airport.

The pilot, who was the first officer on the flight, landed the aircraft without first getting the training in a simulator, a senior DGCA official said.

“This was a serious violation endangering the lives of the passengers on board,” Arun Kumar, directorate general of civil aviation, said.

It is not immediately clear from where the aircraft took off and exactly when .

A Vistara spokesperson said the incident took place in August 2021 but did not specify the date.

First officers have to be trained to land an aircraft in a simulator before they can land a plane with passengers .

Captains are also trained at a simulator before they

can allow a first officer to land the aircraft under supervision.

The captain as well as the first officer of the Indore flight did not train in a simulator but the first officer was still allowed to conduct the landing at the airport, DGCA officials said, attributing the delay in taking action to the time taken for the probe.

The fine was levied on Vistara for granting landing clearance to the first officer without conducting requisite training, they said.

Vistara said a supervised take off and landing (STOL) was conducted on a flight to Indore in August 2021 under the supervision of a captain.

“The pilots were adequately trained and in possession of valid STOL certificates issued by their previous employer for which Vistara claimed the credit,” a Vistara spokesperson said.

Vistara voluntarily reported to regulatory authorities that the same training to be conducted again in line with regulatory requirements was missed, leading to the regrettable violation, the spokesperson said.

"Vistara always puts the safety of passengers and staff as its top priority," the spokesperson noted.

sAccording to DGCA rules, a new employer has to conduct simulator training again before allowing a first officer to conduct supervised landing of aircraft.