Independent Regulatory Authority for Aviation Sector

Shri Ajit Singh, the Minister of Civil Aviation informed Rajya Sabha today in a written reply that it is proposed to set up a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) which would have not only the regulatory safety oversight functions of the current Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) but also functions relating to certain economic regulations, consumer protection and environment regulation. The proposed CAA would have financial and administrative flexibility to meet functional requirements of an effective safety oversight system. Setting up of the CAA is being proposed to overcome the constraints presently faced by DGCA in terms of recruitment and retention of technical manpower and inability to quickly address ongoing operational issues due to lack of adequate administrative and financial authority as on now. The proposal to form CAA is still at a formative stage.