Parliament Question: Safety standards and regulatory framework in Indian aviation sector

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO : 1002 th (TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 9 February 2026) SAFETY STANDARDS AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK IN INDIAN AVIATION SECTOR 1002. SHRI PRADIP KUMAR VARMA Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) status of compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards in aviation security standards, aircraft certification, pilot licensing, and maintenance oversight by Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA); (b) details of the improvements observed in flight safety and operational efficiency as a result of airspace management, Air Traffic Control (ATC) modernization, expansion of radar and GAGAN; (c) current status of airport security, passenger and cargo screening, cyber-security and counter-terrorism preparedness; and (d) effectiveness of DGCA's oversight on aircraft accident investigation, safety audits, pilot training and maintenance quality, and the outcomes of intentional benchmarking? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a): Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) issues regulations on Civil Aviation Security in alignment with the provisions contained in Annex-17 of ICAO and further maintains oversight of the compliance of its regulations by the entities through regular audits and inspections. For the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), ICAO's Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) is a global mechanism that audits and monitors how effectively countries oversee aviation safety, ensuring compliance with ICAO Annexes and Standards & Recommended Practices (SARPs). The overall Effective Implementation (EI) of India for ICAO USOAP is 85.4%.(b): Airspace management and Air Traffic Control modernization have significantly enhanced flight safety and operational efficiency. Structured airspace design and advanced Air Traffic Management systems have reduced conflict risks, controller workload and communication errors. Further, implementation of Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA) has enabled optimal routing, civil-military airspace sharing, reduced operating costs and environmental benefits. (c): BCAS continuously evaluates challenges to National Civil Aviation Security and issues revised guidelines to implement appropriate security measures in accordance with the technical specifications contained in Annex-17. (d): DGCA has a systematic safety oversight mechanism in place for monitoring the compliance of Rules and Civil Aviation Requirements. The safety oversight process includes surveillance, spot checks and regulatory audits. In addition, special audits are also carried out as per the risk perceived. Findings of audits, surveillance & spot checks are followed up with the concerned operator for compliance. The observations are closed after due verification. Further the compliance of the action taken by the operator is verified during the next audit/surveillance. In case of any violations/ non-compliance to regulations detected during audit/surveillance, enforcement action, including financial penalty, is imposed by the DGCA. *****