The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which is proposed to supersede the current regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), will be financially autonomous and funded by a Rs 12 surcharge on every air ticket.
“It has been decided to give more financial and human resource autonomy to the CAA so that it can function like an independent regulator,” said a senior ministry official, who did not want to be identified. “Funding it directly by public money will make it more accountable to the people.”
DGCA lacks such autonomy. It is funded by the government and recruitments are done by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). An Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer heads it.
The head of the CAA will not necessarily be an IAS officer. “In New Zealand, it is headed by a lawyer. Likewise, the person who heads the CAA will be an expert in the field,” said the official.
CAA is also likely to get autonomy in hiring, the official said.
More From This Section
The DGCA is quite understaffed, with many having joined the better-paying private sector, and is not able to cater to the growing needs of the aviation sector. A plan to recruit 460 technical staff is under process.
“The whole recruitment thing is set to take a lot of time, as the UPSC procedure is time-taking and above that, some 13 amendments need to be carried out to move ahead with these appointments,” said the official.
To fil the gap, DGCA has recruited around 300 technical staff on short-term contracts.
The need for a better regulator was underlined after the Mangalore Air India Express crash, which killed 158 people and the crew. The subsequent probe brought out deficiencies in the current system, such as the lack of technical expertise in probing air crashes.