DGCA India: A Comparative Safety and Maintenance Record Analysis

🚨 Recent Major Incidents

• June 2025: Air India Flight 171 (Boeing 787) crashed near Ahmedabad killing 241 onboard and 38 on the ground.
• Recurring P&W Engine Failures: Multiple GoAir and IndiGo aircraft grounded due to in-flight shutdowns and metal chip findings.
• Spot-Check Failures: Akasa Air and several MROs flagged for critical lapses in routine maintenance checks in late 2024.

📉 DGCA's Safety Record vs. Global Peers

Metric	DGCA (India)	FAA (USA)	EASA (EU)
Fatal Accidents / Million Departures (2023)	0.89	0.18	0.21
ICAO Effective Implementation (2022)	85.49% (48th)	95.3% (6th)	94.5% (9th)
FAA IASA Rating	Category II (2024 downgrade)	Category I	Category I
Engine-Related Incidents (2020-2024)	Frequent (esp. A320neo fleet)	Minimal	Rare
Maintenance Staff Expertise	Low aviation specialization, high bureaucracy	High specialization	Strictly certified

⚙️ Quality and Maintenance Lapses

• Boeing 737 Max: Loose bolts and missing washers found in Indian fleet during 2024 audits.
• DGCA Suspension of MROs: Bhopal MRO revoked after engine failure crash of a Cessna.
• Engine Inspections: Only enforced after mid-air incidents, highlighting reactive—not proactive—regulation.
• Pilot Shortages: Airlines often forced to second pilots to DGCA roles, weakening independence of audits.

📊 Systemic Weaknesses in Oversight

“India’s aviation regulator lacks deep field enforcement and institutional depth. Improvements in paperwork haven't translated into consistent safety on the ground.”

– Industry Safety Expert, quoted anonymously in Economic Times

🔍 Summary

While DGCA has improved on global benchmarks like ICAO audit scores, ground reality remains marred by:

• Weak real-time oversight and post-incident regulatory action.
• Chronic technical lapses across multiple airlines and MROs.
• Lack of aviation-qualified technical inspectors and decision-makers.
• Delayed grounding of faulty fleets despite repeated incidents.

🛬 Recommendations

1. Establish a fully independent Civil Aviation Authority.
2. Mandatory upskilling of all DGCA inspectors in aviation engineering and operations.
3. Implement predictive maintenance audit tools using AI and telemetry.
4. Shift from incident response to risk-based surveillance.