On Monday, the Parliament was told that the aviation authority of India has taken steps to rectify 19 safety-related breaches caused by airlines in 2025.
Details on airline violations and safety budgets
The Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, in a written statement to Rajya Sabha, gave comprehensive details about the safety breaches by airlines, the safety budgets that were equipped, and the shortage of staff in the major aviation authorities, responding to the question from the Lok Sabha.
Mohol commented that, during the last five years, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has exerted intensive and firm regulatory control.
Rising number of actions against airlines
The number of actions against scheduled airlines has gradually increased from just two in 2021 to seven in 2022, ten in 2023, twenty-two in 2024, and nineteen so far in 2025.
These actions include fines, suspension of licenses or approvals for a limited time, and written warnings.
The agency’s recorded violations range from minor to serious safety issues and include non-compliance with breathalyzer tests by crew, errors in flight data monitoring, unauthorized cockpit access, and poor quality assurance procedures.
In addition, there were cases of operating flight simulators without DGCA permission, appointing crew members without the mandatory training, and repeated violations of Flight Duty Time Limit rules, and failure of staff to take proper rest.
Maintenance shortcomings
Maintenance was another area of concern, which included neglecting to follow standard maintenance procedures, deficiencies found during audits, failures in safety inspections, and flying with outdated or expired emergency equipment which all contributed to a decline in flight safety.
The minister stated that the government has been providing support to DGCA by allocating funds for its safety surveillance and regulatory enforcement. The annual budget details have been submitted to Parliament in an annexure.
He also revealed the current staffing shortages in four major aviation regulatory organizations: DGCA, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and the Air Traffic Controller cadre.
To highlight the shortage of staff impacting safety and regulatory operations, the approved staff positions and current vacancies in each organization were presented.
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