Overview

• An internal DGCA document and RTI response show roughly half of its technical posts are unfilled, with 503 of 1,674 Group A roles vacant.
• All 18 deputy director general positions remain empty, creating a leadership gap that stalls promotions to senior ranks.
• Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu told Parliament that 190 of about 410 open posts will be filled by the end of October under an accelerated but rigorous recruitment drive.
• Rajya Sabha members pressed for faster hiring, greater DGCA autonomy and strengthened oversight following the June Air India Flight 171 crash.
• Understaffing has constrained the regulator’s ability to conduct airworthiness assessments, safety audits and operational surveillance in India’s expanding aviation market.