An alarming staffing crisis at India's primary aviation regulator is raising serious red flags over the safety oversight of the national carrier, Air India. A damning government report has exposed a critical 40% vacancy rate within the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), severely hampering its ability to perform essential safety checks.
The investigation, led by India's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), delivered a stark warning. It found that the DGCA's Flight Standards Directorate—the very department responsible for ensuring airlines like Air India adhere to strict safety protocols—is operating at barely 60% of its required strength.
A System Stretched to its Limit
The report pulls no punches, stating this massive shortfall "adversely impacts the oversight of airlines." The implications are profound. With a skeleton crew, the regulator is struggling to conduct the rigorous surveillance and audits necessary to keep India's rapidly expanding aviation sector safe.
This isn't a new problem. The audit scrutinised a five-year period up to March 2021, revealing a persistent and systemic failure to fill crucial positions. The roles left vacant are not administrative; they are highly specialised technical positions, including Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) and Air Safety Officers, who are the frontline of aviation safety.
Air India in the Spotlight
The findings place a particularly bright spotlight on Air India. The airline, which operates a massive fleet including long-haul Boeing 777s on routes to the UK, US, and Australia, is directly under the DGCA's purview. Effective and continuous oversight is non-negotiable for an airline of its scale and complexity.
The audit suggests that the regulator's depleted teams are being stretched thin, potentially compromising the depth and frequency of safety checks on carriers. This revelation will be deeply concerning for the millions of passengers who rely on Air India and other Indian airlines each year.
In response to the audit, the DGCA has acknowledged the issue, citing "procedural delays" in government hiring processes. However, assurances have done little to quell fears, as the fundamental problem of a critically understaffed watchdog remains unresolved, casting a long shadow over the future of aviation safety in India.
