New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will conduct additional 15% safety surveillance this year as part of its annual surveillance programme for aviation companies in India, with the development coming after the risk of mid-air collisions in Indian skies remained above acceptable benchmarks in the previous year, officials aware of the matter said.
According to DGCA’s 2025 surveillance schedule, reviewed by HT, the number of checks — pertaining to aircraft maintenance, pilot standards and airport safety, among others — will rise to 4,630 this year from 4,027 in 2024.
The annual safety exercise assumes greater significance in the wake of Air India Boeing 787-8 crash — one of India’s deadliest air crashes — in June this year. At least 260 people were killed after Air India’s B787 aircraft from Ahmedabad to Gatwick crashed moments after take-off on June 12.
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The scores of the aviation regulator’s performance-2024 review reveal AIRPROX incidents — cases where aircraft come dangerously close to one another — stood at 2.36 per million flights, against a target of 1.89.
{{/usCountry}}The scores of the aviation regulator’s performance-2024 review reveal AIRPROX incidents — cases where aircraft come dangerously close to one another — stood at 2.36 per million flights, against a target of 1.89.
{{/usCountry}}The stepped-up vigilance follows worrying trends in DGCA’s mandatory safety reporting system. In 2024, the regulator logged 3,540 safety-related occurrences, including 44 airprox incidents, 47 runway incursions and 2,755 wildlife strikes. Till May 2025, 1,275 such cases have already been recorded.
“Though incidents triggered by the Traffic Collision Avoidance System were well below target levels, elevated AIRPROX may have prompted DGCA to tighten oversight,” a DGCA official said.