House Panel flagged safety gaps in charter planes months ago, Pg14

Key Highlights:

• A Parliamentary panel, led by Sanjay Jha, warned of safety gaps in India's civil aviation, particularly in the private and charter aircraft segment, in a report tabled in August 2025.
• The committee highlighted that the rapid expansion of aviation is outpacing the capacity for safety oversight, creating vulnerabilities, especially in the non-scheduled sector.
• The report emphasized the need for stricter scrutiny of maintenance standards, documentation, and operational control structures within non-scheduled operations.
• The panel urged the DGCA to intensify surveillance through surprise inspections and stricter audit cycles and called for mandatory Safety Management Systems across all private operators.

Detailed Insights:

• The committee drew distinctions between the standardized systems of scheduled commercial airlines and the inconsistent compliance in private flying, noting vulnerabilities in supervision and enforcement.
• Smaller charter operators often have lean technical and safety teams, potentially affecting maintenance scheduling, monitoring, and access to layered operational control centers.
• Flight planning and weather assessment practices in private operations require closer regulatory attention to prevent diluted risk evaluation before departure.
• The DGCA is overburdened due to manpower shortages and expanding responsibilities, necessitating strengthened technical staffing, improved training, and data-driven risk assessment tools.
• Investigation findings from past accidents repeatedly point to human factors, training quality, and decision-making under pressure, emphasizing the need to track and implement safety recommendations.
• Infrastructure at smaller airports must keep pace with increased operations under regional connectivity schemes, requiring upgrades to runway safety areas and navigational aids.
• Air Traffic Control (ATC) faces challenges due to dense traffic loads and staffing shortages, increasing fatigue and workload stress, which can heighten the risk of human error.
• The panel advocated for accelerated recruitment of controllers, improved rostering to prevent fatigue, and faster modernization of communication, navigation, and surveillance systems.

Key Concepts Involved:

• DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation): The regulatory body responsible for civil aviation safety in India.
• Safety Management Systems: A structured approach to managing safety risks and ensuring operational safety.
• Air Traffic Control (ATC): A service provided to promote the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic.