India’s aviation sector, one of the fastest growing in the world, is grappling with an alarming shortage of safety regulators that threatens the integrity of its skies. A recent parliamentary panel has warned that nearly half the sanctioned posts at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) remain vacant, undermining the country’s ability to manage its rapidly expanding air traffic and raising pressing concerns over passenger safety.
The Indian aviation market is expected to double passenger traffic by 2030, already handling close to 2.87 million aircraft movements each year. Despite being a crucial contributor to the economy, accounting for around 1.5 per cent of national GDP and employing more than seven million people, the industry’s growth is far outpacing regulatory capacity. At the heart of the issue is the DGCA’s manpower crisis. Of the 1,063 sanctioned posts, nearly 510 remain unfilled. These gaps include critical roles such as airworthiness officers, flight operations inspectors, and air safety officers, who are essential in conducting safety audits and compliance checks. The absence of such oversight not only delays regulatory actions but also stretches the existing workforce beyond sustainable limits, leading to fatigue and compromised vigilance.
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The crisis extends beyond the DGCA to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which manages air traffic control. With a vacancy rate of around 30 per cent among controllers, many staff are working extended duty hours in violation of prescribed norms. Experts warn that this practice heightens the risk of human error, especially at a time when incidents of runway incursions, engine failures, and bird strikes are already drawing concern. A leadership vacuum has compounded the problem. All deputy director general positions within the DGCA, 18 in total, have been lying vacant, in some cases for over five years. This has left a structural void, slowing decision-making and weakening the regulator’s ability to respond to emerging risks in an industry that demands agility and foresight.The panel’s findings arrive against the backdrop of recent aviation tragedies, including one of the deadliest crashes in over a decade. While not directly attributed to staffing issues, the accidents highlight systemic weaknesses and underline the urgency of reform.
