India is set to become the third largest civil aviation sectors in the world, with newer airlines sprouting up, massive aircraft order coming from airlines like Air India and Akasa Air, and with passenger traffic at all-time high, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to ramp up its operations for creating a safe and secure aviation eco-system in the country.
As a part of the plan, DGCA will open offices at six more bases, including Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Agartala, Amritsar, Nagpur and Dehradun, in addition to the 14 cities where it currently operates to monitor aviation activities. The authority will also will also recruit additional staff to boost regulatory oversight, a DGCA official said in a statement.
Currently, the directorate has offices in New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Kanpur, Patiala, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati, Bhopal, Hyderabad and Kochi.
The regulator is also working to enhance scrutiny on airlines staff, officials said.
To improve standards of the Indian aviation ecosystem, there will be renewed focus on various areas like air safety, airport standards, engineering, maintenance, and airworthiness of aircraft, among others, a DGCA official said.