The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which serves as India’s aviation watchdog, is running short of hands. Not having hired for over eight years now, the regulator now needs more people as the fleet of aircraft in the country has grown in leaps and bounds during this period.
Recently, ET had reported that the DGCA has a workforce strength of about 1,300 employees, of which over 600 work in the area of flight safety and are responsible for ensuring that the commercial aircraft —numbering about 700 in the country —are fit to fly.
On the other hand, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which is a similar regulator for the US aviation sector, has a 45,000-strong workforce to take care of almost 8,000 commercial aircraft.
With the travel sector recovering after the pandemic, things are starting to look up for the airlines in the country too. Therefore, it is expected that the various airline companies are looking to add about 100 aircraft annually to fulfil the surging demand in traffic.
The hirings for suitable candidates in the areas of flight safety, air worthiness, training and standards and so on at DGCA will be done via the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
The fact that the DGCA desperately requires trained employees and more staff has been brought to the attention of authorities by auditors from abroad, including the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and FAA, says the report by ET.
