The Government of India is working to expand the manpower and capabilities of aviation regulators DGCA and BCAS. The news comes amid anticipation of massive growth in India’s civil aviation sector in the coming years.
BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) takes care of the security aspect while DGCA (Directorate of Civil Aviation) looks after the security aspects of civil aviation.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also reiterated on Friday that both the regulators are completely independent.
“My job is to ensure accountability both on the safety side and on the security side… Now, with the vast expansion we are seeing in the civil aviation sector, (it is) even more relevant that we increase the staff and capabilities of DGCA and BCAS. Both. It’s something I’m working on as we speak.”
India is estimated to have over 400 million air passengers (both domestic and international) In the coming years, The number of aircraft with Indian carriers is also expected to reach the level of around 1200. Also, the number of airports, heliports and waterdromes is also expected to increase to the level of around 220.
The current manpower and staff requirements in the regulators could not be ascertained immediately. After two years of setbacks due to the pandemic, the country’s civil aviation sector is on a recovery path.
Responding to a question about Air India’s disinvestment, Scindia said the ministers and bureaucrats handling the day-to-day affairs of public sector undertakings are not a good sign, adding that the role of the government should be that of a visionary. .
“My hands are quite full, with or without Air India. When I was a minister, I did not interfere in the day-to-day affairs of Air India.
“I am confident that under the new management, it (Air India) will soar to new heights… With fleet expansion plans, a wealth of expertise on the IT and hospitality fronts, I believe a lot of it.” Some must bear the value proposition of Air India customers in the coming days,” Scindia said.
In January this year, Tata overtook loss-making Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express.
The minister was speaking at a session of the Economy Summit organized by Business Today.
The minister also claimed that once the FAA and EASA give their approval to the Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (EVTOL) aircraft, it will be the next technology paradigm in the aviation sector. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) are the American and European aviation regulators respectively.
“That (EVTOL) industry should also make its base in India. That is one of the things I am looking for,” Scindia said.
EVTOLs that are currently deployed by the US and Canadian Air Forces will go for certification from the FAA and EASA once a Proof of Concept (POC) is in place.
Scindia also said that civil aviation “has been a part of our DNA for a very long time”.
“We had seaplanes in India in the 1910s and 1920s. We had a seaplane landed in a man-made lake in Gwalior in the 1910s, 1920s,” he said.
With inputs from PTI.
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