The tragic crash of Air India flight AI117 at Ahmedabad has exposed serious gaps in India’s civil aviation safety oversight and regulatory accountability. Despite being the 5th largest civil aviation market globally, the sector continues to suffer from governance failures, poor regulatory mechanisms, and inadequate safety standards.
Systemic governance Issues in Indian Civil Aviation:
1. Weak Institutional Accountability:
- Lack of accountability post-crash: No officials from DGCA or MoCA were held responsible.
- Blame shifting rather than accepting systemic failure.
2. Ineffective Oversight and Regulatory Enforcement:
- DGCA and MoCA have failed to strictly enforce ICAO safety norms.
- Safety audits and compliance remain superficial.
- No independent accident investigation agency unlike the NTSB (USA) or AAIB (UK).
3. Training and Emergency Preparedness Gaps:
- DGCA’s own report showed pilots were inadequately trained in emergency handling.
- Emergency drills in India occur only every 3 years, whereas airlines like Japan Airlines conduct them annually.
4. Infrastructure Bottlenecks:
- Congested airports, insufficient runway capacity, and aging ATC systems increase operational risks.
- Night parking shortages at major airports force flights into suboptimal routing, increasing safety hazards.
5. Legal and Judicial Inefficacy:
- Public Interest Litigations (PILs) related to aviation safety get weak judicial attention.
- Absence of strong legal deterrents for regulatory or operational negligence.
Crash of AI117: Specific causes
- CCTV revealed the aircraft failed to lift off despite full runway usage.
- Possible causes: bird ingestion, technical failure, and poor take-off configuration.
- Negligence: Highlights negligence in hazard detection, training gaps, and inefficient response mechanisms.
Measures needed:
1. Independent and Transparent Investigation:
- Set up an Independent Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau insulated from airline and MoCA influences.
2. Strengthen Safety Training:
- Mandatory annual emergency training for all crew and staff.
- Use AI, AR/VR, and simulators for better preparedness.
3. Reform Regulatory Framework:
- Audit and restructure DGCA for independence, efficiency, and professional expertise.
- Improve coordination between MoCA, DGCA, AAI, and private players.
4. Upgrade Infrastructure and ATC:
- Invest in runway expansion, modern ATC systems, and night parking facilities.
- Speed up MRO development to reduce aircraft downtime.
5. Enhance Accountability and Judicial Support:
- Ensure that post-crash reports are made public.
- Empower judiciary to act swiftly on aviation-related PILs.
6. Focus on Crew and Passenger Education:
- Reinforce passenger safety briefings through visual and multilingual content.
- Mandate mock evacuations and safety campaigns.
7. Adapting global best practices:
- United States – National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB): Fully independent investigation agency which publishes detailed post-accident reports.
- Japan – Haneda Airport Emergency Protocol: Demonstrated high-level emergency preparedness during a runway collision. For example, it successfully evacuated 367 passengers in under 90 seconds.
Conclusion:
The crash of AI117 is not merely a technical failure but also a governance crisis. Safety, transparency, and professional integrity must form the cornerstone of aviation governance, supported by independent regulation, strong training standards, and systemic accountability.
‘+1’ Value addition:
- Domestic passengers: 60 Mn (2014) → 143 Mn (2020).
- Aircraft fleet: 400 (2014) → 723 (2023); projected to rise to 2,000 by 2028.
- MRO market size: $4.33 Bn by 2025.
- ATF cost: Makes up 50–70% of operational costs in India.
- India Aims for 300 million Domestic Air Passengers by 2030
La Excellence IAS Academy, the best IAS coaching in Hyderabad, known for delivering quality content and conceptual clarity for UPSC 2025 preparation.
FOLLOW US ON:
◉ Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/@CivilsPrepTeam
◉ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaExcellenceIAS
◉ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laexcellenceiasacademy/
GET IN TOUCH:
Contact us at info@laex.in, https://laex.in/contact-us/
or Call us @ +91 9052 29 2929, +91 9052 99 2929, +91 9154 24 2140
OUR BRANCHES:
Head Office: H No: 1-10-225A, Beside AEVA Fertility Center, Ashok Nagar Extension, VV Giri Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Hyderabad, 500020
Madhapur: Flat no: 301, survey no 58-60, Guttala begumpet Madhapur metro pillar : 1524, Rangareddy Hyderabad, Telangana 500081
Bangalore: Plot No: 99, 2nd floor, 80 Feet Road, Beside Poorvika Mobiles, Chandra Layout, Attiguppe, Near Vijaya Nagara, Bengaluru, 560040
