**Executive Summary:**
This document presents the Minister of Civil Aviation's response to questions raised in Lok Sabha regarding vacancies within the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) as of July 24, 2025. The response details the number of sanctioned and vacant posts, addresses the impact of these vacancies, and outlines measures taken to fill them and ensure aviation safety. It also includes information about aviation safety audits and updates to civil aviation regulations.
**Key Points / Main Content:**
* **Vacancy Status:**
* DGCA: Out of 1644 sanctioned posts, 823 are vacant.
* AAI: Out of 25730 sanctioned posts, 9477 are vacant.
* BCAS: Out of 598 sanctioned posts, 230 are vacant.
* **Government Response to Vacancies:**
* The government acknowledges the vacancies in DGCA, BCAS, and AAI.
* Additional posts have been created in DGCA, BCAS and AAI in the last couple of years, keeping in view of current and future expansion of civil aviation.
* The shortfall has not impacted the functioning of these organizations.
* Recruitment methods are being pursued to ensure the availability of manpower.
* Short-term contractual hiring is used to meet requirements during recruitment gaps.
* **Aviation Safety Measures:**
* DGCA has comprehensive civil aviation regulations for aircraft operation and maintenance, which are continuously updated.
* DGCA has a structured surveillance and audit framework, including regular audits, spot checks, night surveillance, and ramp inspections.
* **Recent Posts Created:**
* DGCA: 441 posts created between 2022 and 2024 (426 technical posts).
* BCAS: 84 operational posts created during restructuring in 2024.
* AAI: 840 posts of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) created recently.
**Impact Analysis:**
**DGCA, BCAS and AAI Employees/Administration:**
* *Impact:* Awareness of current vacancy levels and ongoing recruitment efforts. May be subject to increased workloads due to staffing gaps.
* *Action Required:* Continue to pursue all methods of recruitment to address vacancy issues.
**Civil Aviation Operators (including private and non-scheduled):**
* *Impact:* Subject to continuous oversight of maintenance practices, surveillance and audit frameworks.
* *Action Required:* Adhere to updated civil aviation regulations and cooperate with DGCA's surveillance and audit activities.
**Ministry of Civil Aviation:**
* *Impact:* Responsible for overseeing and addressing staffing gaps and ensuring aviation safety.
* *Action Required:* Monitor the progress of recruitment efforts and ensure the effectiveness of safety oversight measures.
Key Entities Referenced
Directorate General of Civil Aviation: A statutory body of the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation responsible for regulation of air transport services to/from/within India and for enforcement of civil aviation regulations, air safety, and airworthiness standards.
Bureau of Civil Aviation Security: An agency of the Ministry of Civil Aviation in India. It is the regulatory authority for civil aviation security in India.
Airports Authority of India: A statutory body responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure in India.
Uttarakhand: A state in the northern part of India, where helicopter crashes are mentioned in the context of staffing gaps in aviation institutions.
Air India: The flag carrier airline of India, whose crash in Gujarat is mentioned in the context of staffing gaps in aviation institutions.
International Civil Aviation Organisation: A specialized agency of the United Nations that codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.
European Union Aviation Safety Agency: An agency of the European Union (EU) with responsibility for civil aviation safety.
Air Traffic Controllers: Personnel responsible for directing aircraft movements to maintain safe and efficient air traffic flow, particularly mentioned in the context of new posts created in Airports Authority of India.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION
Lok Sabha
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 795
( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 24th July 2025 )
VACANCIES IN DGCA, BCAS AND AAI
795. SHRI RAJA RAM SINGH
ADV. ADOOR PRAKASH
Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION
be pleased to state:-
(a) whether the Government acknowledges that over 53% of
sanctioned posts in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),
35% in the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and 17% in the
Airports Authority of India (AAI) remain vacant despite the rapid
growth of civil aviation sector in the country and if so, the details
thereof;
(b) the number of sanctioned posts in each of the institutions and
the number of posts lying vacant as on date, category-wise;
(c) whether the staffing gaps in these institutions have contributed
to recent aviation accidents including the helicopter crashes in
Uttarakhand and the Air India crash in Gujarat;
(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons for such
accidents;
(e) the details of specific measures taken by the Government to fill
the sanctioned posts, enhance safety oversight and fix
accountability for recent safety lapses;
(f) whether the Government proposes to initiate an audit of aviation
safety protocols especially among private and non-scheduled
aviation operators; and(g) if so, the timelines fixed for such an audit and if not, the reasons
therefor?
ANSWER
Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION
(Shri Murlidhar Mohol)
(a) to (e): Details of the sanctioned strength and vacancy position
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil
Aviation Security (BCAS) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) are
attached at Annexure I.;
;
Keeping in view of current and future expansion of civil aviation and
effective supervision, additional posts have been created in DGCA,
BCAS and AAI in last couple of years. The shortfall has not impacted
the functioning of these organizations. Further, all methods of
recruitment are pursued vigorously in order to ensure timely and
continuous availability of requisite manpower. To meet
requirements in the interregnum due to vacancies arising from
reasons like inadequate response to advertisements, non-joining of
selected candidates, persons with insufficient service in the feeder
cadre for promotion, insufficient response to deputation posts,
efforts are made to recruit persons through short terms contractual
hiring.;
;
(f) to (g): Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has a
comprehensive and structured civil aviation regulations for safe
operation of aircraft and its maintenance. These regulations are
continuously updated and aligned with the International Civil
Aviation Organisation (ICAO)/European Union Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA) standards.;
;
DGCA also has a structured surveillance and audit framework in
place i.e. planned and unplanned surveillance of organization
/aircraft, which includes regular and periodic audits, spot checks,
night surveillance and ramp inspections across all operators,
including continuous oversight of maintenance practices.
******Annexure I
1. Directorate General of Civil Aviation:-
Group Sanctioned posts Filled up Vacant
Group A 1123 548 575
Group B 161 93 68
Group C 360 180 180
Total 1644 821 823
2. Airport Authority of India:-
Group Sanctioned posts Filled up Vacant
Group A 8268 6618 1650
Group B 7631 6288 1343
Group C 9831 3347 6484
Total 25730 16253 9477
3. Bureau of Civil Aviation Security:-
Group Sanctioned posts Filled up Vacant
Group A 156 102 54
Group B 250 141 109
Group C 192 125 67
Total 598 368 230
Note: Some positions have been created in the last couple of years as reflected
below:
1. In DGCA, 441 posts including 426 technical posts, have been created
between 2022 and 2024.
2. In BCAS, 84 Operational Posts have been created during restructuring in
2024.
3. In Airports Authority of India, 840 posts of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs)
have been created recently.