Parliamentary panel flags staff shortage in aviation safety institutions

New Delhi: At a time aviation bodies are involved in investigating the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad, a recent Parliamentary panel report has highlighted that the official institutions, including regulator DGCA, are hugely under-staffed while expressing concern over their ability to enforce safety, security and operational standards.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has around 53 per cent sanctioned posts vacant at present, while the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) have also vacancies to the tune of 35 per cent and 17 per cent respectively, the report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, headed by senior JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha, said.

Expressing “serious concern” over the “high number” of vacancies across key aviation regulatory and operational bodies, the report on Demand for Grants for Ministry of Civil Aviation, had said that “chronic understaffing in these institutions could undermine safety, security, and service delivery standards, particularly as air traffic volumes continue to rise”

Citing the data in the report tabled in Parliament on March 25, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Modi government's "negligence in not giving priority" to security in the aviation sector is “worrying”.

“How will safe flights be ensured when key departments dealing with aviation safety, inspection, regulation and operations are working at less than half their staff? We are waiting for the investigation report on the air crash in Ahmedabad, but the lack of action despite the parliamentary committee report is a serious matter. We demand the government to clarify the situation and take necessary steps on this," he posted on X.

According to the report, the DGCA has 1,633 sanctioned strength but only 754 are in position, leaving a vacancy of 879. In BCAS, there are 390 people employed for 598 positions with a vacancy of 208. The AAI has 3,265 vacancies as only 16,004 out of 19,269 posts have been filled.

The report said the vacancies in the DGCA, which is responsible for aviation safety and regulatory oversight, raise “fundamental concerns” about its capacity to enforce aviation safety standards effectively.

Similarly, it said the vacancies in BCAS, which is tasked with maintaining aviation security, pose “risks to the robustness” of security oversight at airports. The staff crunch in AAI, which manages critical airport infrastructure and air traffic services, potentially impacts operational efficiency and airport expansion, it said.

“Given the rapid expansion of air traffic and aviation infrastructure, the ministry must adopt a long-term workforce planning strategy to ensure staffing levels remain to meet operational demands,” the report had recommended.