“India’s aviation sector is booming, but the regulator is cracking under pressure,” AAP leader said. “This is not sustainable. We are compromising on safety in one of the most risk-sensitive sectors.”
NEW DELHI — Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha on Monday flagged a serious manpower crisis in India’s civil aviation regulator, warning that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is operating under severe resource constraints, putting air safety at risk.
Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, Chadha said the DGCA has 55% vacancies in critical technical posts and lacks both autonomy and adequate funding. He urged the government to act urgently and restructure the regulator as an autonomous statutory body, similar to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
“In the skies, there is no margin for error — safety cannot be optional,” Chadha said, calling the situation a “full-blown crisis” rather than a routine staffing shortage.
Based on Parliamentary Panel Report
Citing findings from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, Chadha revealed that over half of DGCA’s technical positions remain unfilled in 2024.
“This is not about general vacancies,” he told the House. “These are technical posts directly responsible for air safety inspections, pilot licensing, aircraft maintenance, and airworthiness. As per the report, 55% of such posts are lying vacant. This is alarming and unacceptable.”
As of the latest figures, the DGCA has filled only 338 out of 749 sanctioned technical positions. These include crucial roles such as Flight Operations Inspectors, Airworthiness Officers, and other staff responsible for ensuring the safety and regulatory compliance of India’s growing fleet of aircraft.
Regulatory Weakness
India’s civil aviation sector has seen explosive growth in recent years. With record passenger traffic and increased airline operations, the pressure on DGCA has grown exponentially. Yet, Chadha said, the regulator remains “understaffed, underfunded, and stripped of autonomy.”
“India’s aviation sector is booming, but the regulator is cracking under pressure,” he said. “This is not sustainable. We are compromising on safety in one of the most risk-sensitive sectors.”
India is currently the third-largest domestic aviation market globally. With more than 150 scheduled and non-scheduled operators and over 700 aircraft under regulation, the DGCA plays a critical role in maintaining safety and operational standards.
Call for Reforms
Chadha also pressed the government to grant the DGCA statutory status, akin to SEBI or TRAI, to give it greater functional independence and enable faster hiring and better oversight.
“Why is the DGCA still not an autonomous statutory body?” he asked. “Other sectors like finance and telecom have empowered regulators. Why not civil aviation, which directly concerns human lives?”
The demand for a statutory civil aviation authority has been raised multiple times in the past, including by a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Bill introduced in 2013, which was never passed. Several aviation experts and safety panels have argued for an independent body with legislative backing to ensure regulatory robustness.
The Civil Aviation Ministry has not yet responded to Chadha’s remarks. However, the issue of staff shortages within DGCA has been acknowledged in past annual reports and internal reviews.
A senior aviation analyst, speaking off the record, said, “The DGCA has been overburdened for years. The sector has grown faster than the regulator’s capacity. Unless serious reforms are initiated, it will continue to be reactive rather than proactive on safety issues.”
Chadha concluded his address by demanding a timeline from the government for filling the technical vacancies and urged Parliament to take up the matter with urgency. “This is not just about administration—it’s about national safety,” he said.
In response, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, however, said that the DGCA is “not under any kind of pressure” and is “operating with utmost seriousness and professionalism”.
The Union Minister also mentioned that the vacant posts Chadha flagged were “recently created”.
