Revamping India's Aviation Safety: Parliament Panel Calls for Immediate Action

A Parliamentary panel recommends urgent administrative and financial autonomy for India's DGCA, highlighting a staffing crisis as 'an existential threat to aviation safety.' The report calls for a National Capacity Alignment Plan, stricter safety measures, and improved central oversight, emphasizing the need for remedial actions and protective frameworks.

A Parliamentary panel has urgently called for granting administrative and financial autonomy to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), citing an existential threat to aviation safety due to staffing shortages.

The committee pointed out the mismatch between rapid aircraft induction and slower airport infrastructure expansion, stressing the need for a National Capacity Alignment Plan to align development with fleet schedules.

Recommendations included resolving safety deficiencies swiftly, enforcing stronger compliance penalties, and addressing a recruitment model that has left nearly half of DGCA posts unfilled, posing significant risks to India's aviation oversight.

(With inputs from agencies.)