Times Now: Hisar: Monday, 21 July 2025.
A recent RTI has exposed a massive manpower crunch in India's aviation watchdog, with nearly 30% of top technical posts in DGCA lying vacant, raising concerns over flight safety and regulatory oversight.
A recent RTI reply has
revealed that 503 out of 1,674 Group 'A' technical posts in the Directorate
General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are currently vacant. The shortage raises
serious questions about the regulator’s ability to carry out regular safety
checks and oversight in India’s growing aviation sector.
RTI activist Ajay Bose, who filed the query, called the reply “shocking” and warned, “This is just Group A. There are other categories too. The staff is overworked. If anything goes wrong, these vacancies could be a major reason.”
The matter was also raised during a meeting of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee. Former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said, “DGCA is well equipped, but they are short of top-level staff. Retired officials can be brought back on short tenures to boost passenger confidence.”
Sources said that most of the vacancies about 400 are new posts created in the past year. While airlines are responsible for operational safety, they admitted that a lack of manpower affects how thoroughly oversight can be done.
“The sector has expanded rapidly in the last 10 years. More flights need more checks. With better staffing, we can be more efficient,” said one official.
A recent RTI has exposed a massive manpower crunch in India's aviation watchdog, with nearly 30% of top technical posts in DGCA lying vacant, raising concerns over flight safety and regulatory oversight.
RTI activist Ajay Bose, who filed the query, called the reply “shocking” and warned, “This is just Group A. There are other categories too. The staff is overworked. If anything goes wrong, these vacancies could be a major reason.”
The matter was also raised during a meeting of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee. Former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said, “DGCA is well equipped, but they are short of top-level staff. Retired officials can be brought back on short tenures to boost passenger confidence.”
Sources said that most of the vacancies about 400 are new posts created in the past year. While airlines are responsible for operational safety, they admitted that a lack of manpower affects how thoroughly oversight can be done.
“The sector has expanded rapidly in the last 10 years. More flights need more checks. With better staffing, we can be more efficient,” said one official.
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