Air India Tragedy: Praful Patel Flags DGCA's Senior Staff Shortage At Parliamentary Panel Meet
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament on Tuesday held a key meeting to review India's aviation safety, where former Civil Aviation Minister and fellow PAC member Praful Patel raised the issue of flight safety and staff shortage in India's aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The meeting, held at Parliament House, was chaired by senior Congress leader KC Venugopal and included top government officials, aviation experts, and airline representatives.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Patel said that while India's aviation sector remains largely safe, more top-level professionals are urgently needed to handle growing responsibilities
'There have been many incidents post the Ahmedabad plane crash, it was needed to be brought into focus, safety is paramount, anybody who flies, wants to feel safe, and assured that he is going to reach his destination," said Patel.
'DGCA is well equipped, but they are facing shortage of top level people, they need more people, retired senior people can be brought back for short tenure, so that passenger confidence is restored," he added.
Venugopal, who chaired the meeting, noted that the issue of rising airfares was also discussed. 'Everybody is concerned about the safety. We are discussing the increase in air fares also, especially post Pahalgam and during Kumbh. The committee has asked them to have clear-cut regulations on fares," he added.
The meeting followed last month's tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad, which was a key point of discussion. A major focus was the investigation into the 12 June crash of Flight AI-171.
The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft hit a hostel complex of BJ Medical College, killing 241 of the 242 people on board, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson also attended the meeting. The Ministry of Civil Aviation briefed the panel on the ongoing investigation led by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is using advanced black box technology and working with international and domestic experts, including Boeing and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
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