Months Before Air India Crash, Parliamentary Report Flagged Safety Risks, Funding Imbalances
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A March 2025 parliamentary report flagged a major imbalance in aviation budget allocations. It also raised concerns over chronic vacancies in key aviation regulatory agencies.
The Air India plane crash on June 12 has brought a parliamentary standing committee report from March back in focus, because it flagged a 'discrepancy in funding", thus raising questions on the prioritisation of regulatory compliance over security infrastructure and accident investigation capabilities.
According to multiple media reports, the report also questioned the high number of vacancies across key aviation regulatory and operational bodies, particularly in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
The committee flagged that the 2025-26 allocation of funds across key aviation bodies is skewed, with the DGCA commanding the largest share of the budget in comparison to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
'The Committee observes that the Capital Outlay for BE [budgetary estimate] 2025-26 has a distinct imbalance in the allocation of funds across key aviation bodies. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), entrusted with regulatory oversight, commands the largest share of Rs 30 crore-nearly half of the total budget," the report said.
'While its role in ensuring compliance with aviation standards is indisputable, the justification for such a significant allocation must be carefully examined to ensure efficiency and accountability. The discrepancy in funding raises important questions about the prioritisation of regulatory compliance over security infrastructure and accident investigation capabilities," it stated.
The committee said that in comparison to the Rs 30 crores allotted to the DGCA, the BCAS and the AAIB together receive a far more 'modest" allocation in view of 'growing complexity of aviation security threats and the critical nature of accident investigations".
'In contrast, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) receive Rs 15 crore and Rs 20 crore, respectively. While regulatory compliance remains essential, the rapid expansion of aviation infrastructure, with airports increasing from 74 in 2014 to 147 in 2022 and a target of 220 by 2024-2025, necessitates proportional growth in security capabilities and accident investigation resources."
'In view of the growing complexity of aviation security threats and the critical nature of accident investigations, the Committee finds these allocations relatively modest," the report mentioned.
Further, the committee recommended 'regular performance evaluations of DGCA and BCAS funding to ensure that these resources translate into tangible improvements in aviation safety, regulatory efficiency, and security preparedness".
Also highlighting the high number of vacancies across key aviation regulatory and operational bodies, the Committee stated it was deeply concerned that chronic understaffing in these institutions could undermine safety, security, and service delivery standards, particularly as air traffic volumes continue to rise.
GOVT SETS UP NEW PANEL TO PROBE AHMEDABAD PLANE CRASH
On June 14, two days after the horrific Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, the government set up a high-level panel to investigate the causes of the Ahmedabad plane crash and the investigation is progressing smoothly.
'Decoding the black box is going to give in-depth insight into what happened moments before the plane crash," Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said at a briefing in the national capital.
Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha said the investigation is going on smoothly. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the crash.
He said that the aircraft took off at 1.39 pm and within a few seconds, after reaching a height of about 650 feet, it started sinking. At 1.39 pm, the pilot informed Ahmedabad ATC that it was a May Day– full emergency."
According to ATC, Sinha said, when it tried to contact Air India aircraft the ATC did not receive any response.
Exactly one minute later, the plane crashed in Meghaninagar, about 2 km from the airport.
According to him, the aircraft started losing its height after reaching 650 feet.
Air India's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, operating a flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed soon after takeoff on Thursday afternoon. Out of the 242 people on board the plane, only one person survived.
Before the accident, the aircraft had operated the Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad route and had completed its flight successfully, the civil aviation secretary said.
ALSO READ | Air India To Cut International Services Amid Ongoing Safety Checks On Boeing 787 Fleet
About the Author
Vani Mehrotra
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
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