Indian airspace witnessed over 90 near misses in three years

ATC officials. We need to augment our manpower resources in this sector so that adequate breaks are given to them. There is also a need for having more trained and experienced pilots who operate airlines in India.” Siwach further added that there is a need to identify the weak areas and work on them. “For example, the newly opened airports under the Regional Connectivity Scheme should provide the infrastructure requirements to operate aircraft smoothly and more trained pilots are needed to manage take-offs and landings in challenging terrains,” he added.

Harshvardhan, another aviation expert, said that a constant effort to maintain the quality of machines and manpower should be of paramount importance for the government to avoid any collisions, as the sector is likely to grow for at least the next 10 years.

“Safety and security are of paramount importance and we need to upgrade the training modules of our ATC staff. We need to provide them with a healthy environment at work to reduce stress. Most importantly, in major airports where air traffic is very heavy, the ATC staff should be of the best quality because such airspace reports the maximum number of such near miss incidents,” he told The Sunday Guardian.

He further added that the skills of the ATC staff need to be upgraded and institutions where the ATC staff are trained, should have state-of-the-art infrastructure to give them hands-on training.

The Indian civil aviation sector has also witnessed over 600 safety violations by different airlines operators, thus compromising on the safety and security of passengers between 2016 and 2017.

In 2016, 352 cases of safety violations by different airlines were reported; in 2017, 269 safety violation incidents by various airline operators came to light.

Some of the safety violations by various airlines included the failure to adhere to the Pilot Proficiency Check (PPC), non-compliance of FDTL (Flight and Duty Time Limitations) requirements, non-compliance of pre-flight medical requirements, unauthorised entry into the cockpit, among others.

However, according to sources in the DGCA, the aviation security watchdog is putting in place all measures to ensure that no unfortunate incidents take place in the Indian skies. Upgradation of technology and infrastructure is being closely monitored along with strict vigilance to ensure all airlines operators follow the security and safety guidelines of the DGCA.

A senior DGCA official said: “We are modernising the ATC to include conflict warning systems. We are also training all ATC staff at simulators before putting them on the job. The DGCA is likely to roll out licencing provisions for all ATC staff and licences would also be issued to trained and quality people on the job. Moreover, all such near miss incidents are studied carefully by the DGCA to ensure such incidents are not repeated and the gaps, wherever found, are filled.”