DGCA To Hire 400 In Efforts To Strengthen Surveillance
The Civil Aviation Department Regulator, DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) will hire more than 400 employees in order to bolster surveillance. As per the sources reported to ET, The Finance Ministry has given clearance to DGCA to hire employees for about 41 posts. The demand for air travel is witnessing a surge, the Indian airlines increase their fleet size to match the pickup in demand.
An official said, “The last time DGCA saw fresh hiring in full-time positions was in 2014, immediately after the US aviation regulator FAA had downgraded India,”. A senior government official said the number of employees in airlines has doubled since 2014 but the regulator has not created jobs since 2014. According to an estimate by the aviation ministry, Indian airlines are likely to add, on average, 100 aircraft every year as they look to rebuild their businesses after Covid-19. Domestic air traffic in India grew by 64% year-on-year in August 2022, with 11 million flyers taking the sky, according to the DGCA.
The recruitment process at the DGCA will be done through UPSC ( Union Public Service Commission). DGCA has around 1,300 employees. Of these, 634 work in the departments that look into flight safety and airworthiness of the 700 commercial aircraft while the American aviation regulator FAA ( Federal Aviation Administer)has 45,000 employees working. Plus an increase in the accidents of aircraft due to technical glitches has come into focus over the last few months.
The aviation ministry has approved the hiring of 370 new air traffic controllers, The official added “There is an acute shortage of air traffic control officers, and in many locations, the ATC officials are not getting adequate rest due to this shortage,”.
