Overcoming turbulence in aviation safety oversight

A comprehensive safety audit carried out by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation at major airports, including Delhi and Mumbai, lays bare critical gaps in aviation safety.  Such gaps going unnoticed are no less worrisome and point towards a systemic deficiency that needs to be corrected at the earliest. Surveillance carried out by DGCA teams revealed startling safety issues. Multiple cases wherein the reported defects re-appeared many times on the aircraft indicated the ineffective monitoring and inadequate rectification action on the defects/repeated defects; ground handling equipment such as baggage trolleys, etc., were found unserviceable; and line maintenance stores and tool control procedures were not followed, according to a statement issued by the DGCA. Other nerve-racking findings were that defect reports generated by the aircraft system were not found recorded in the technical logbook; several life vests were not properly secured beneath their designated seats; and the corrosion-resistant tape on the right-hand side winglet’s lower blade was found to be damaged. Similarly, at an airport, the centreline marking of the runway was observed as faded; the rapid exit taxiway and green centre lights were not unidirectional; the obstruction limitation data has not been updated for the last three years; and no survey has been performed despite many new constructions around the vicinity of the aerodrome; a number of vehicles in the ramp area were found without speed governors, adds the official DGCA statement. The aviation safety regulator states that the surveillance covered multiple critical areas such as flight operations, airworthiness, ramp safety, air traffic control (ATC), communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) systems, and pre-flight medical evaluations. Throughout the surveillance, ground activities and aircraft movements were closely monitored to check the compliance of regulatory requirements and to identify weak areas for improvement. A domestic flight of a scheduled carrier was cancelled due to worn tyres, and it was released only after the required rectification was carried out, but the pertinent question is that apart from fixing accountability on those responsible for lapses, the challenge is to ensure that such lapses do not recur. It is reassuring to know that the DGCA had adopted a new framework for comprehensive special audits to provide a holistic evaluation of the aviation sector, meticulously examining safety, operational safety, and regulatory compliance.  The DGCA General Safety Circular issued on June 19 elaborates that the new framework adopts a risk-based and integrated approach, and these special audits will proactively identify systemic vulnerabilities, enhance resilience and ensure strict adherence to International Civil Aviation Organisation standards and recommended practices.  The new framework of the special safety audits marks a paradigm shift in approach and underscores the importance of holistic evaluation to remove the gaps in traditional regulatory and safety oversights which are conducted out in silos by different directorates. Such oversights in silos include planned/unplanned surveillance inspections; random spot checks; and ramp inspections, which primarily assess compliance and safety within individual aviation segments. The goal of the special safety audits is to generate a 360-degree evaluation of the aviation ecosystem, reflecting both its strength and areas needing improvement, and will be over and above the regulatory audits carried out as per the Annual Surveillance Programme, explains the new circular. The DGCA having an adequate number of professionals will be crucial to carry out the regular and special safety audits of the aviation ecosystem. Information tabled in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Aviation brought into the open that till March 31, the DGCA had 48% vacancies against sanctioned strength, which partly explains the critical gaps in safety oversights and inspection. Similarly, vacancies against sanctioned strength in the Bureau of Civil Aviation Safety (BCAS) are over 37% and over 36% in the Airports Authority of India. Filling these vacancies on a priority basis is crucial to make the intended improvement in oversight of the aviation safety ecosystem become a reality. A huge shortfall in staff compared to the sanctioned strength paints a grim picture of negligence of aviation safety when airports have increased, and the number of flights and passengers has increased manifold. The special audit, therefore, must also find if the current sanctioned strength in different directorates is adequate to match the spectacular growth in the aviation sector. The government informed the parliament that in DGCA and BCAS, no separate funds are earmarked for the recruitment of persons, and the persons recruited are paid out of budgetary allocations given to the department at various stages of budget estimates, revised estimates and supplementary budgets. This system needs to be overhauled urgently, and specific budgetary allocations should be earmarked for an expeditious recruitment drive. Without adequate manpower and modern technology, the regulatory authorities will continue to face challenges in maintaining safety oversight even after the adoption of a new framework and issuing the circular to give effect to the paradigm changes. Building the capacity of DGCA, BCAS and AAI is crucial to ensure that aviation safety is not compromised by gaps in regulatory oversight.