DGCA under US scanner

New Delhi: Airlines in India may soon find it difficult to add or introduce flights to US, thanks to the weak aviation regulatory mechanism. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rates the regulatory mechanisms of countries, before deciding number of flights they can operate to US.
India, that currently enjoys the highest category 1 rating, is now under the scanner as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has had its officer strength falling relentlessly over the past few years even as traffic has grown exponentially.
This has put a serious question mark on the oversight capability of the regulator on the burgeoning airlines and their flights. The DGCA has a sanctioned strength of 230 officers and today about 40% of these posts are vacant as people kept retiring or joining the private sector. In fact, an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audit conducted in 2006 had also listed staff crunch as one of its major findings, that has put reduced staff under tremendous pressure to cope with massive air traffic and ensuring people fly safely.
“An FAA team visited the DGCA two months back. It now wants to reassess the DGCA and in the current situation, India could be downgraded to category 2 that will mean a freeze on additional flights to US,” said highly-placed sources. US concern is already showing effect as Jet’s request for a flight to San Francisco via Europe (as the Mumbai-Shanghai-San Francisco flight’s being withdrawn) is yet to be cleared.
Government is trying to win time for reassessment and in meantime give some teeth to the DGCA.
02/01/09 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Categories: Foreign Jan 2009, Indian Aviation- In General Jan 2009