Pilots’ body urges govt to set up Civil Aviation Authority, replace DGCA with autonomous regulator 

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revive the proposal for an independent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), arguing that India’s rapidly expanding aviation sector needs a regulator with greater administrative, financial and technical autonomy.

In a letter dated August 6, addressed to PM Modi, the pilots’ body said the proposal to establish a statutory CAA had emerged from concerns raised by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Parliamentary Committees and the rapid growth of India’s aviation industry.

The proposed authority would replace the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which currently functions as an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

According to the FIP, the objective is to create an autonomous, accountable and professionally managed regulator capable of overseeing an aviation sector that has grown significantly in scale and complexity.

Why pilots want an autonomous aviation regulator

The FIP said India’s aviation sector has witnessed “unprecedented growth” over the past two decades, marked by rising passenger traffic, expanding airline fleets, more airports, growth in air navigation services and an increase in flying training organisations and aviation maintenance facilities.

However, it argued that the regulatory framework has not evolved at the same pace.

The pilots’ body identified limited institutional independence as one of the key shortcomings of the existing DGCA structure. As an attached office of the ministry, the DGCA has limited administrative autonomy, while major decisions require ministry approval and its financial powers remain subject to government procedures.

The FIP also pointed to government recruitment and procurement rules as a constraint on the regulator’s ability to hire and retain specialised aviation professionals.

Shortage of specialised aviation expertise 

The letter highlights the need for regulators to have access to professionals with specialised industry experience, including airline captains, flight operations inspectors, airworthiness engineers, aircraft maintenance engineers, air traffic management experts, human factors specialists and fatigue-risk management experts.

According to the FIP, government pay scales have often made it difficult to attract and retain such specialists, particularly those with extensive airline or aviation-industry experience.

The pilots’ body argues that an autonomous regulator with greater financial and administrative flexibility would be better positioned to address this gap.

Aviation growth has outpaced regulatory capacity 

The FIP cited the rapid transformation of Indian aviation between 2003 and 2013, when passenger traffic more than doubled, private airlines became dominant operators, aircraft fleets expanded and flying training organisations and maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities grew.

New airports were also commissioned during this period.

The letter argues that the scale and complexity of regulatory oversight subsequently grew faster than the DGCA’s organisational capacity.

This, it said, strengthened the case for moving from a conventional government-department structure to an independent statutory authority.

ICAO audits also flagged areas for improvement 

The FIP referred to audits conducted by ICAO under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), saying these had highlighted areas where India needed to strengthen its regulatory system.

Among the areas cited were safety oversight, inspector staffing, technical expertise, regulatory independence and surveillance capability.

The letter said ICAO encourages countries to ensure that aviation regulators have adequate independence, resources and qualified personnel.

The FIP also noted that the US Federal Aviation Administration had endorsed the proposal during an International Aviation Safety Assessment review, while industry stakeholders, including the International Air Transport Association, had supported the creation of a modern and adequately resourced regulatory authority.

What the proposed CAA would do 

Under the FIP's proposal, the CAA would be a statutory body with administrative and financial autonomy.

It would be empowered to oversee key areas including:

• Aviation safety 
• Airworthiness 
• Licensing 
• Certification 
• Consumer protection 
• Environmental compliance 
• Other core aviation regulatory functions 

The pilots’ body said such an authority could strengthen India's compliance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), improve regulatory effectiveness and enhance international confidence in India's aviation safety oversight.

Proposal dates back more than a decade 

The idea of replacing the DGCA with a Civil Aviation Authority is not new. The FIP said the proposal gained significant momentum in 2013-14, but the legislation eventually lapsed. India has continued to operate under the DGCA framework, with the regulator remaining under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The letter also refers to a feasibility study carried out in 2009-10 on establishing the CAA. A report containing recommendations was subsequently submitted and, according to the FIP, was considered comprehensive.

Parliamentary committees examining the proposed Civil Aviation Authority Bill had also recommended greater regulatory autonomy, professional management, better staffing, improved accountability, financial independence and enhanced aviation safety oversight.

The FIP said the committee broadly supported the creation of the CAA while recommending refinements to its governance and accountability framework.