New Delhi: : India's air traffic control (ATC) is under the lens of UN's aviation agency over its "regulatory framework". Two months after it audited Indian aviation, the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is sending a team to the country this month to inspect whether the requirement for oversight of air traffic controllers (ATCO) is being met here.
The move comes after a five-member team of ICAO audited Indian aviation under its universal safety oversight audit programme from November 6 to 16, 2017. The audit was carried out in areas of personnel licensing, airworthiness, operations, legislation and organization of aviation agencies here.
"As per preliminary feedback given by the audit team to ICAO headquarters, they want to further understand the regulatory framework in place for oversight of ATCOs. A two-member ICAO team is likely to visit India this month to ascertain that the requirements for ATCOs are being met. The visit may also involve visiting a facility of Airports Authority of India (AAI, ATC's parent organisation) in this regard. The inputs collected during this visit would go into ICAO's report which will be made available to India for appropriate action," said a top aviation ministry official.
According to sources, the concern may stem from the fact that AAI — the parent organisation for ATC — is going to issue licences to ATCOs. That is akin to an airline issuing licences to its own pilots. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issues pilot licences and professionals licensed by this independent regulator can then work for airlines.During the last ICAO audit of India in 2015, the UN agency had raised concern over shortage of ATCOs. "At that time, we were short by about 700 to 800 controllers. Since then we have hired 1,200 controller and currently have 3,071 controllers, adequate for the current requirement. In addition, 67 ATCOs have been given offer letters who will be joining us shortly. So the issue is not about shortage of controllers and has to be something else," said a senior ATC official.
06/01/18 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
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The move comes after a five-member team of ICAO audited Indian aviation under its universal safety oversight audit programme from November 6 to 16, 2017. The audit was carried out in areas of personnel licensing, airworthiness, operations, legislation and organization of aviation agencies here.
"As per preliminary feedback given by the audit team to ICAO headquarters, they want to further understand the regulatory framework in place for oversight of ATCOs. A two-member ICAO team is likely to visit India this month to ascertain that the requirements for ATCOs are being met. The visit may also involve visiting a facility of Airports Authority of India (AAI, ATC's parent organisation) in this regard. The inputs collected during this visit would go into ICAO's report which will be made available to India for appropriate action," said a top aviation ministry official.
According to sources, the concern may stem from the fact that AAI — the parent organisation for ATC — is going to issue licences to ATCOs. That is akin to an airline issuing licences to its own pilots. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issues pilot licences and professionals licensed by this independent regulator can then work for airlines.During the last ICAO audit of India in 2015, the UN agency had raised concern over shortage of ATCOs. "At that time, we were short by about 700 to 800 controllers. Since then we have hired 1,200 controller and currently have 3,071 controllers, adequate for the current requirement. In addition, 67 ATCOs have been given offer letters who will be joining us shortly. So the issue is not about shortage of controllers and has to be something else," said a senior ATC official.
06/01/18 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
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