Aviation Safety Concerns in India

A parliamentary panel has issued a stark warning about the state of aviation safety in India, highlighting a severe staffing crisis at the country's aviation safety regulator. The report, tabled in the upper house of parliament, describes the shortage of personnel at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) as an "existential threat" to the integrity of the safety system.

The DGCA, responsible for overseeing aviation safety in the world's third-largest aviation market, is operating with a staffing deficit of nearly 50%. This shortfall severely impedes the regulator's ability to fulfill its mandate effectively. The report criticizes the DGCA's hiring model as "slow and inflexible," hindering its capacity to attract skilled talent.

Moreover, the rapid expansion of India's aviation sector has placed immense pressure on air traffic controllers (ATCs), particularly at metropolitan airports. Many ATCs are working under "prolonged and fatiguing duty schedules," raising concerns about their ability to maintain the high level of vigilance required for their critical role. The report also notes that some ATC staff are insufficiently trained, exacerbating the risks associated with operational overload.

To address these systemic vulnerabilities, the parliamentary committee has recommended granting the DGCA "full financial and administrative autonomy." They also advocate for mandating detailed root-cause analyses for high-risk events such as runway incursions and implementing improved error reporting systems aligned with the concept of Just Culture, which balances accountability with the understanding that human error is inevitable.