DGCA to Ramp Up Technical Staff

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA) plans to boost its technical staff to 1,100 by hiring an extra 400 employees over the next one to two years, as well as increase the number of offices to 19. After nearly four years in charge, Arun Kumar will step down on February 28. He called his time in office a "roller coaster ride" in which various measures to increase aviation safety were taken as well as step occurs that the regulator faced, such as engine problems and safety concerns regarding SpiceJet. The implementation of eGCA for regulator processes, the introduction of regulations for transgender people who want to be pilots, the introduction of breathalyser test requirements for air traffic controllers, and India's aviation safety oversight ranking rising to 55th from 112th place earlier under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) coordinated validation mission are among the key developments during the tenure.

"The nation's ability to oversee aviation safety has significantly increased, and the DGCA performs more than 4,000 spot inspections, audits, and night surveillances as part of its yearly surveillance program," Kumar told PTI in an interview. Over 1,300 people work for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), including 700 technical personnel. In the next one to two years, he said, there would be 400 more technical employees working for the DGCA, and there will be 19 offices around the country instead of the existing 14 locations.

Arun Kumar, an IAS officer of the 1989 Haryana cadre, described his tenure as a "roller coaster ride" when asked about it. "It was rewarding since we took many initiatives to improve aviation safety; eGCA was a game changer and made life simpler for all stakeholders," he said. "Among the most significant successes are India's rising position in the ICAO safety rankings and the full implementation of the eGCA. With the high ICAO ranking, the world understands that India is a better country when it comes to aviation safety," Kumar added. During the pandemic, the DGCA chief stated that India did what other nations did and that aviation services were halted for an extended period of time.