India summer seg etter skandalen vedr. downgrading

Aviation ministry pushes for new sector regulator

NEW DELHI: The aviation ministry is preparing to introduce legislation in the upcoming session of Parliament to create a new aviation regulator to replace the current authority, a largely toothless body that has been hobbled by a serious staff shortage, after US regulators cut India's safety rating last week.

The ministry has accepted recommendations of a panel of MPs to strengthen the proposed Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), by giving it autonomy to create technical posts such as flight operations inspectors without having to turn to the government, a top official of the ministry of civil aviation told ET on Tuesday.

One of the main reasons for the downgrade by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was the failure of the current aviation regulator, directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) to hire on a permanent basis an adequate number of flight operations inspectors trained for specific aircraft models, according to the aviation ministry official. The FAA, which audited DGCA in September and December, also found DGCA wanting in training its airworthiness officers to conduct safety checks on aircraft models used by non-scheduled operators (private jets, helicopters, chartered flights etc.), it said.