Strategic investment in future: Federation of Indian Pilots writes to PM Modi, pushes for Civil Aviation Authority to replace DGCA
New Delhi, August 8
Amid unprecedented growth in India's aviation sector, the Federation of Indian Pilots has renewed a high-stakes call for structural reform, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to establish an autonomous, statutory Civil Aviation Authority.
In a detailed proposal addressed to the Prime Minister on August 6, FIP President Capt CS Randhawa stressed that India, now the third-largest domestic aviation market in the world, remains an outlier among major regional economies by continuing to rely on the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
While the DGCA has historically overseen India's skies, the letter highlights that the rapid expansion of the sector, with commercial fleets topping 850 aircraft, passenger numbers surging past 239 million, and emerging domains like drones and advanced air mobility taking flight, has severely strained a conventional government department.
The proposal points out critical structural limitations under the current setup. Lack of institutional independence as major regulatory decisions and financial outlays require cumbersome government approvals, creating administrative bottlenecks; rigid government pay scales make it difficult to attract and retain specialised aviation talent, such as airline captains, flight operations inspectors, and airworthiness engineers.
It also raised the issue of financial constraints; unlike global counterparts in the UK, Singapore, and neighbouring South Asian nations that operate self-sustaining bodies, the DGCA's revenue goes straight into the Consolidated Fund of India, leaving the regulator dependent on annual budget allocations.
Drawing comparisons with neighbours like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, all of which operate autonomous statutory CAAs, the FIP argued that India's regulatory framework must evolve to match international best practices.
The FIP's blueprint resurrects core elements from previous reform efforts, including the lapsed 2013 Civil Aviation Authority Bill.
Key structural recommendations include: Creation of a dedicated Civil Aviation Authority Fund sustained through user fees, licensing charges, and cost-recovery safety audits, reducing reliance on government grants, empowering the authority to hire industry experts directly with competitive, market-based remuneration rather than being bound by routine civil service rules, professional board featuring a Chairperson, a Director General, and domain experts spanning flight safety, airworthiness, air navigation, consumer affairs, and environmental compliance, appointed for fixed terms and dedicated mechanisms for handling passenger complaints, environmental compliance, and noise regulation. The proposal underscored that an autonomous CAA would heavily bolster compliance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) standards.
Proponents argued that independent leadership and continuous digital investment will speed up pilot licensing, enhance fatigue risk management (FDTL), and secure global confidence in India's aviation oversight system.
Copies of the comprehensive proposal have also been forwarded to Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu, Civil Aviation Secretary SK Sinha, Cabinet Secretary Dr TV Somanathan, and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally, a sensible push for reform! The DGCA has been overburdened with everything from pilot licensing to fare regulation. With 850+ aircraft and growing, we need a specialised authority that can hire experts without government pay-scale constraints. Even Pakistan and Nepal are ahead of us on this—that says something. 😬
As someone who's worked in the aviation industry internationally, I can say this is a crucial move. The revenue retention model is particularly important—right now, all the fees from airlines go to the Consolidated Fund and the DGCA gets a pittance back. No wonder they can't retain technical experts. This needs to happen fast.
Good proposal, but I have some reservations. The DGCA, despite its flaws, has kept our skies relatively safe. Replacing it with a completely autonomous body sounds good on paper, but we need strong oversight mechanisms to ensure accountability. Otherwise we could end up with inefficiency of privatisation and nothing to show for it. Just saying.
I'm a pilot based in Bangalore and the difference in regulatory efficiency between here and where I trained (in the US) is night and day. Competitive pay for safety inspectors is a no-brainer—you can't expect experienced captains to inspect flight operations for a fraction of what they'd earn flying. This reform is overdue. ✈️
The comparison with our neighbours is embarrassing honestly. Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka—they all have autonomous CAAs. We're the third-largest aviation market and we're running with a bureaucratic relic. The 2013 Bill lapsed, let's not let this opportunity slip
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