Air India has been under a continuous cycle of regulatory scrutiny since its privatisation in January 2022. This time, however, the Tata Group airline faces its most significant challenge yet following the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade that has claimed nearly all of the 242 people on board.Until Thursday, Air India Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson was set to travel to the Paris Air show — which runs June 16–22 — potentially placing major orders of Boeing and Airbus jets. But now, the crash is likely to be a key topic of discussion.At home, too, with the public perception of Air India still on shaky ground over multiple safety lapses, operational violations and non-compliance issues, it will fall to Air India leadership to clear the air.Past issues with Air India will be very much on people's minds at the moment and the aviation regulator's warnings to the airline over the past three years, citing serious concerns in flight operations, cockpit discipline and internal accountability have resurfaced.Air India Plane Crash Puts Spotlight On Boeing Again, Raises New Safety ConcernsKey Incidents, Fines:January 2025: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation fined Air India Rs 30 lakh for allowing a pilot to operate a flight without meeting recency requirements — at least three takeoffs and landings in the past 90 days — despite repeated alerts.May 2024: A show-cause notice was issued after two long-haul flights departed with passengers in poorly cooled cabins, highlighting repeated passenger care failures.March 2024: An Rs 80-lakh fine was levied for violating flight-duty time limitations, risking pilot fatigue.February 2024: The airline was fined Rs 30 lakh after an elderly passenger suffered a fatal heart attack, reportedly due to inadequate assistance.January 2024: A Rs 30-lakh penalty was imposed for not rostering enough CAT-III-trained pilots during foggy conditions, leading to delays and cancellations.June 2023: Two pilots were suspended after allowing an unauthorised person into the cockpit on a Chandigarh-Leh flight.February 2023: A Delhi-Dubai flight captain allowed a woman into the cockpit. He was suspended for three months, while the co-pilot received a warning.January 2023: The airline was fined Rs 30 lakh for mishandling an incident where a passenger urinated on another onboard and delayed reporting to authorities.June 2022: Soon after Tata's takeover, Air India was fined Rs 10 lakh for denying boarding to valid ticket holders without compensation.Air India Plane Crash: Why Finding Black Box Is Key To Unravelling The TragedyIn 2023, the DGCA flagged confusion over safety oversight roles between Chief of Flight Safety Rajeev Gupta and Head of Safety, Security, and Quality Henry Donohoe. The regulator urged CEO Campbell Wilson to streamline reporting lines to improve safety management.Experts say there is no reason to believe that a manufacturing or design issue was the cause. "Was maintenance keeping pace with the extensive use of the fleet?" an air safety expert questioned. "Of course, accident investigators will consider every possibility."A former Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau official, however, pointed that that initial investigation suggests a case of both engines losing power, terming it a "rarest-of-rare" incident.The investigation, however, is underway."A formal investigation has been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organization," said Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu."Additionally, the government is constituting a high-level committee comprising experts from multiple disciplines to examine the matter in detail. The committee will work to strengthen aviation safety and prevent such incidents in future," Naidu said.The widebody 787 planes, one of the most modern passenger aircraft in service, have never had a fatal crash until the Air India incident.WatchAir India Catastrophe: The Life And Crash Of An 11-Year-Old Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Read more on Business by NDTV Profit.