Wings for aviation sector! What Modi government is doing for complete overhaul of DGCA

This latest move by PM Narendra Modi-led Centre is expected to give additional wings to aviation sector. According to the latest development, the Modi government has set the ball rolling for the complete overhaul of aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to bring it at par with other global regulators, as per an IANS report.

Committee constituted

The Civil Aviation Ministry has constituted a committee headed by former Skill Development Secretary and also Air India ex-chief Rohit Nandan for this purpose.

Members of the panel include former DGCA chief Satender Singh and a representative from global aviation consultancy, the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA). The terms of reference (ToR) for the committee include studying the best practices globally and suggest measures to put a technically strong body in place, the report says.

"It was long due. The organisation has been in dire need of a restructuring. The committee would suggest how best the DGCA can be restructured. It will also suggest how more autonomy could be ensured. It will also look into the financial aspect," said a person familiar with the development.

Growth in domestic air traffic

Given that the domestic air traffic has grown multifold in the last one decade, experts are of the view that India needs a strong aviation safety authority on the lines of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the US.

An autonomous authority with complete administrative and financial freedom had been envisaged to ensure safety oversight.

Aviation safety consultant Captain Mohan Ranganathan said that the strengthening of regulatory oversight had been pointed out as far back as 2006 and subsequently, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) audit also observed this.