New Delhi: The European Union Aviation Safety Agency had suspended the authorisation of Indian charter operator VSR Ventures over a year before the crash that killed Ajit Pawar near Baramati, a report says. The regulator, known as EASA, suspended the Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation citing a “Level 1” safety finding, according to a report in The Times of India. The action was taken after the company failed to provide documents and information repeatedly sought regarding a September 2023 Learjet 45 accident in Mumbai.The suspension order was also marked to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Last week, another Learjet operated by VSR crashed near Baramati, resulting in the death of the Maharashtra deputy chief minister and four others.An EASA “Level 1” safety finding is the most serious category of non-compliance. It is issued when a safety risk cannot be ruled out or when an operator fails to cooperate with regulatory oversight. Under the agency’s framework, a TCO authorisation is mandatory for any non-EU aircraft operator to land in or overfly European airspace, signifying that the operator meets international safety standards.The suspension order, accessed by the newspaper, stated that the operator did not grant the agency access to requested safety records. In the absence of safety-relevant information and data, the regulator could not determine the operator’s continued compliance with TCO requirements.The operator further failed to provide information regarding the 2023 Mumbai accident. The report stated that EASA was seeking safety recommendations and the outcome of internal investigations to address potential contributing factors.The suspension order listed five dates between October and November 2024 when reminders were sent to VSR, but no response was received. The order noted that the firm was given an opportunity to propose corrective action plans and a root cause analysis before the TCO was suspended. VSR did not comment on the matter.