Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Pilots' body urges autonomous Civil Aviation Authority to replace DGCA
People who fly planes in India have written to the Prime Minister to ask for a new organisation that keeps flying safe.
Right now, a group called the DGCA looks after aviation safety in India.
The pilots say the DGCA does not have enough freedom because it is controlled by a government ministry.
They want a new group called the Civil Aviation Authority that can make its own decisions and manage its own money.
The new group could hire safety experts more easily and pay them better.
India's skies have become very busy, with passengers rising from 131 million to over 239 million in about ten years.
International experts from ICAO have said India needs stronger safety checks, and the US FAA and airlines group IATA have supported the pilots' idea.
The plan is not new; it was first talked about many years ago, but the law was never approved.
Now the pilots are asking again so that flying in India can be safer and better organised.
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the government to replace the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) with an autonomous, statutory Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The FIP says the DGCA, an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, lacks institutional independence, with major decisions requiring ministry approval and fee collections deposited into the Consolidated Fund of India.
Government recruitment, procurement and pay rules make it hard to recruit and retain specialised aviation experts, including airline captains, flight operations inspectors and airworthiness engineers.
The CAA proposal dates back over a decade: ICAO's Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme flagged deficiencies in 2006, a feasibility study ran in 2009-10, and the Civil Aviation Authority of India Bill, 2013 lapsed in May 2014.
The FIP estimates a cost-recovery CAA could generate Rs 500-700 crore a year versus Rs 120-150 crore from DGCA fees, as passenger traffic grew from 131 million in 2015 to over 239 million in 2025-26.
- Who
- The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), whose president Capt CS Randhawa wrote the letter dated August 6 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with copies to civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu and other senior officials.
- What
- Urged the government to replace the DGCA with an autonomous, statutory Civil Aviation Authority of India with administrative and financial independence.
- When
- The letter is dated August 6; the reform idea dates back over a decade, gaining momentum in 2013-14 before the Civil Aviation Authority of India Bill, 2013 lapsed in May 2014.
- Where
- India, described as the world's third-largest domestic aviation market.
- Why
- Because the DGCA's limited independence, finances and specialist staffing have not kept pace with aviation growth, ICAO audits flagged weaknesses in regulatory oversight, and India remains one of the few major aviation markets where the safety regulator is still a government department.
- Proposing body
- Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP); letter dated August 6 addressed to PM Narendra Modi
- Regulator to be replaced
- Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation established under the Aircraft Act of 1934
- Proposed authority
- Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of India - statutory body with a Chairperson, CEO (Director General) and nine domain experts appointed for fixed tenures
- Passenger growth
- From 131 million in 2015 to over 239 million in 2025-26; commercial fleet over 850 aircraft; over 160 operational airstrips; over 35,000 registered drones
- Fee revenue estimates
- Current DGCA collections about Rs 120-150 crore a year; a full cost-recovery CAA could generate Rs 500-700 crore a year
- ICAO audit findings
- USOAP flagged safety oversight, inspector staffing, technical expertise, regulatory independence and surveillance capability
- Legislative history
- Civil Aviation Authority of India Bill, 2013 introduced in the Lok Sabha; Bill lapsed with the 15th Lok Sabha's dissolution in May 2014; 2009-10 feasibility study conducted
- International support
- US FAA endorsed the CAA during its IASA review in July 2010; IATA backed an autonomous framework between 2011 and 2013; ICAO encourages independent regulators
