DGCA to hire 100 airworthiness officers ahead of safety audits

New Delhi: The civil aviation regulator is scurrying to increase its technical workforce by a third as it prepares to face crucial safety audits by two global aviation bodies from next week, which could potentially downgrade India’s air safety rating.
A senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official said the regulator is hiring 100 airworthiness officers to comply with the assessments of its safety oversight capabilities by the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) from August 19 to 23 and Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) of the US in September. “We have already started handing out appointment letters to candidates,” he said, asking not to be named.
The DGCA has merely 320 such officers, who oversee the flying conditions and maintenance of aircraft, against a sanctioned limit of 586. ICAO and FAA have in the past criticised DGCA’s persistent manpower deficit, which affects the oversight of airline operations in India.
15/08/13 Economic Times