The Federation of Indian Pilots has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the creation of an autonomous Civil Aviation Authority, reviving a proposal that was first taken up by the government more than a decade ago.
In its letter dated August 6, the FIP called for replacing the existing Directorate General of Civil Aviation with an independent statutory regulator with greater administrative, financial and technical autonomy.
The pilots' body said India's rapidly expanding aviation sector requires a modern regulatory framework capable of ensuring safety, security, efficiency and consumer protection.
The FIP said the aviation sector has witnessed significant growth in passenger traffic, aircraft fleets, airports, air navigation services, pilot training organisations and maintenance facilities. However, it argued that the complexity of regulatory oversight has grown faster than DGCA's organisational capacity.
As an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the DGCA faces limitations in administrative autonomy, financial flexibility, recruitment of specialists and timely decision-making.
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What Does FIP Wants?
FIP has proposed an autonomous CAA with administrative and financial independence. The authority would regulate areas including aviation safety, airworthiness, licensing, certification, consumer protection and environmental compliance.
A key concern is the regulator's ability to recruit and retain technical specialists.
The FIP pointed to the need for airline captains, flight operations inspectors, airworthiness and aircraft maintenance engineers, air traffic management experts, human factors specialists and fatigue-risk management experts. It said government pay scales and recruitment procedures can make it difficult to attract experienced professionals from the aviation industry.
For pilots, an autonomous regulator could also strengthen oversight of flight duty time limitations, fatigue risk management and Safety Management Systems, while improving licensing and enforcement of safety standards.
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FIP Seeks Revival Of 2013 Civil Aviation Authority Bill
The demand seeks to revive the Civil Aviation Authority of India Bill, 2013, which proposed replacing DGCA with an autonomous statutory authority. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 20, 2013, but lapsed after the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014 and was never reintroduced.
The FIP has also cited international support for stronger regulatory independence. It said ICAO had identified shortcomings involving inspector strength, technical personnel, financial autonomy and surveillance capability.
The FAA endorsed India's CAA proposal in 2010 as being consistent with ICAO policy, while IATA supported an adequately resourced autonomous regulator.
FIP clarified that the FAA did not independently recommend creating a CAA and that IATA's position was not a formal regulatory recommendation.
At its core, FIP's argument is that India's aviation industry has expanded dramatically and its regulator needs to become more independent, better funded and better equipped to oversee that growth.
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