Aviation Safety Is At Stake, Reform Cannot Wait

Syllabus: GS3/Infrastructure

Context

• The preliminary report of the recent Air India Boeing 787 crash in Ahmedabad from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) remains inconclusive, leaving critical questions unanswered about pilot intent and systemic failures.

India’s Aviation Ecosystem

• India’s aviation ecosystem is a complex web involving aircraft design, maintenance, flight operations, air traffic control, and regulatory oversight. Each component is managed by different entities:
  • Airlines handle aircraft and crew.
  • Airports Authority of India (AAI) oversees infrastructure and air traffic control.
  • Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regulates safety and compliance.
  • The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) supervises the entire framework.
• Accidents are rarely caused by a single failure. As per the Swiss Cheese Model, disasters occur when holes in each safety layer align — a result of multiple overlooked failures.

Aviation Safety in India

• India’s aviation sector is soaring — with over 174 million passengers in 2025 and a fleet of 860+ aircraft, with a projection to reach 500 million by 2030.
• It’s currently the third-largest domestic aviation market globally, only behind the US and China.
• India is expanding its cargo capacity, aiming to triple freight movement from 3.5 million to 10 million metric tons annually by 2030.
• India vs. World: The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) evaluates countries on eight safety parameters.
  • India outperformed both the US and China in key areas like Operations (94.02%); Airworthiness (97.06%); Effective Implementation (85.65%).
  • India retains Category 1 Status from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), meaning its airlines can operate and expand services to the US.
  • India’s safety oversight ranking jumped from 112th to 55th globally, placing it ahead of countries like China, Turkey, and Israel.

Pillars of Systemic Breakdown in the Aviation Ecosystem

• Aircraft Certification and Airworthiness: DGCA lacks in-house technical depth and depends on foreign regulators like the FAA and EASA, as exposed during the IndiGo-Pratt & Whitney engine failures (2017–18).
• Maintenance Standards: AMEs work without duty-time limits.
  • Airlines use underqualified ‘technicians’ to cut costs.
  • Court-mandated duty norms post-Mangaluru (2010) crash remain unenforced.
• Flight Crew Exploitation: Fatigue rules are violated regularly.
  • DGCA allows exemptions despite safety risks.
  • Pilots’ job mobility is restricted, enabling employer coercion.
• Profit-Driven Operations: Airlines that violate safety norms often retain senior leadership.
  • DGCA officers embedded within airlines often lack authority.
• ATC Staff Shortages: Severe shortfall of licensed Air Traffic Controller Officers (ATCOs).
  • The licensing system is still non-functional.
  • Recommended ATCO duty-time limits from 2010 remain ignored.
• Suppression of Whistle-Blowers: Whistle-blowers in airlines and AAI face retaliation — transfers, demotions, terminations.
  • It deters reporting of safety violations.

Case Studies: Role of Judiciary

• Over the years, Public interest litigations (PILs) have become a tool to expose regulatory failures, showing how judicial intervention has prevented further tragedies, despite institutional resistance. These include:
  • Ghatkopar (2018) Crash: Prevented from being deadlier due to a 2016 Bombay HC stay halting construction near Mumbai airport.
  • Mumbai Airspace Violations: Despite 5,000+ obstructions near the airport (2025), regulatory bodies failed to inform courts accurately.

Key Suggestions

• Strengthening Regulatory Oversight:
  • Autonomy for DGCA: Make DGCA independent from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to eliminate conflicts of interest.
  • International Benchmarking: Align safety protocols with ICAO standards and conduct regular third-party audits.
  • Real-time Data Sharing: Create a centralized safety database accessible to all stakeholders, including whistleblower reports and flight risk assessments.
• Crew Welfare & Mental Health:
  • Confidential Reporting Channels: Establish non-punitive systems for pilots to report psychological concerns.
  • Mandatory Counseling Access: Provide regular mental health screenings and optional therapy funded by airlines.
  • Regulated Work Hours: Enforce duty-time limits strictly to reduce fatigue-induced errors.
• Technical & Operational Upgrades:
  • Air Traffic Control (ATC) Reform: Upgrade radar infrastructure and training programs.
    • Hire more controllers to reduce workload and stress.
• Maintenance Accountability: Impose stricter penalties for substandard aircraft maintenance.
  • Ensure qualified personnel conduct checks with mandatory rest periods.
• Infrastructure Planning:
  • Obstacle Mapping & Clearance: Audit high-rise structures near airports using satellite data.
    • Demolish or retrofit buildings violating flight safety zones.
• Safety Zones for New Airports: Avoid shortcuts like displaced thresholds without proper safety justification.
• Promoting Transparency & Reporting:
  • Whistleblower Protection Law: Shield insiders who report violations from retaliation.
  • Public Access to Incident Reports: Make investigation findings and DGCA audits publicly available to boost accountability.
• Judicial Collaboration: Special Aviation Tribunals: Establish fast-track courts for aviation-related cases.
  • Victim Compensation Reform: Increase payouts and ensure timely settlement post-accidents.

Conclusion

• The Indian aviation sector is riddled with institutional decay. Without sweeping reforms, regulatory accountability, and a sincere culture of safety, another tragedy is not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’.
• The call is not for punishment, but for protection. Not for blame, but for responsibility. The skies must be safe — by design, not by chance.

Source: TH