DGCA to hire 100-150 people over next 6-8 months for enhanced aviation safety surveillance

Indian aviation regulator will hire 100-150 people over the next 6-8 months for enhanced aviation safety surveillance via night checks as the Indian airlines fleet expand, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Director General Arun Kumar told CNBC-TV18 in an exclusive interview.

"At DGCA, we mean business and safety is non-negotiable," Kumar said.

A total of 177 surveillance, 497 spot checks, and 169-night surveillance have been carried out by DGCA on engineering and maintenance aspects of scheduled operators during the last year between July 2021 and June 2022.

Based on the violations found during surveillance, spot checks, and night surveillance carried out during 2021-22, enforcement action has been taken by DGCA against responsible personnel of an airline in 21 instances of violations.

"Aircraft is a complex sturdy machine with lakhs of components and its usage is very rigorous. India has a very young fleet and their flight dispatch reliability is one of the best in the world. Once in a while, technical snags are possible and a standard operating procedure as per globally approved norms is followed in case of any technical snag," Kumar said.

"Passengers affected via flight diversions or delays won't be happy but safe navigation is our priority. As per last year's data, one aircraft sees 0.6 snags in a year. There may be 1-2 technical incidents in a day across 6,000 flight movements. A pilot has to be alert and attentive when it comes to any sign of technical snags. Many times, an indicator for a technical snag may be false but a pilot has to respond to that as well as per SOP," Kumar added.

The regulator keeps a regular tab on the Indian airlines via annual surveillance plan, spot checks, night surveillance, and cockpit surveillance so that only airworthy aircraft are in operation, Kumar added.

"There is a bit of hype and unnecessary hoopla around normal events. Several times, a rejected take-off or missed approach is actually a safety manoevure and enhances safety. Air travel is absolutely safe and our record is terrific," Kumar said.

The matter of air safety has come into focus over the last month after multiple incidents of technical glitches were reported across airlines including SpiceJet, GoFIRST, IndiGo, Air India, Vistara, and Air India Express related to engine glitches, windshield cracks, smoke in the cabin, equipment malfunction among others.

As part of the annual surveillance plan for 2022, the DGCA will conduct 3700 checks.