The parliamentary standing committee on Transport Tourism and Culture in its safety review report on Wednesday recommended the government to have a time-bound plan to grant the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) full administrative and financial autonomy
The report read, “This is imperative to address critical technical staff shortages caused by an ineffective recruitment model, a problem highlighted by past expert committees but never resolved.”
The panel, in the report, specified that nearly 50% of the total 1,063 sanctioned posts remain vacant with 553 posts filled.
“Autonomy is essential for the regulator to attract talent, set industry-compensated salaries, and effectively enforce compliance in a rapidly expanding sector,” it added. The report however, specified that direct recruitment by the DGCA was currently not under consideration.
The report, tabled in the Lok Sabha, recommended establishing a time bound mechanism for the closure of all safety deficiencies, with priority for serious Level I matters, and implementing stronger enforcement actions, including financial penalties for non-compliance.
Without naming an airline or an instance, the report stated that the recommendation was a response to the significant and growing backlog of unresolved safety findings, which indicated a “critical weakness” in the post-surveillance rectification process that “undermines” the entire oversight program.
{{/usCountry}}Without naming an airline or an instance, the report stated that the recommendation was a response to the significant and growing backlog of unresolved safety findings, which indicated a “critical weakness” in the post-surveillance rectification process that “undermines” the entire oversight program.
{{/usCountry}}“Concerns also exist about audit quality due to a lack of qualified DGCA staff and airlines prioritising profiteering over immediate maintenance,” it read.
The parliamentary panel also recommended the government to address recurring operational risks and said, “.. suggests mandating a detailed root-cause analysis for every runway incursion and other recurring high-risk events, and establishing focused remedial programs for these areas.”
“This is necessary because key safety targets for events like runway incursions are consistently being exceeded, indicating that the current incident review process is failing to translate lessons learned into effective operational changes. Specific data on bird strikes and engine failures underscores the need for effective remedial measures despite existing systematic oversight,” it added.
Taking note of the frequent helicopter incidents, the panel suggested a uniform national regulatory framework for all state-operated helicopter services and mandatory, terrain-specific pilot training.
“This is prompted by a series of accidents in high-risk environments managed by state-level agencies with limited central oversight, revealing a regulatory ambiguity that creates unacceptable safety gaps. While the Ministry defines central and state roles and DGCA has issued a circular for pilgrimage operations, the Committee highlights the need for more proactive and uniform central oversight,” it stated.
Besides, it also highlighted issues related to air traffic controllers’ (ATCOs) fatigue and recommended a national Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) and a comprehensive staffing audit.
Similarly, the report suggested fatigue management for flight crew and said, “The Committee recommends rigorous implementation and continuous evaluation of human factors initiatives. This includes ensuring strict compliance with updated Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) regulations for pilots and promoting mental health awareness and support for both flight crews and ATCOs, as outlined in recent DGCA circulars.”