Govt forms expert panel to align air safety with global standards

Earlier this month, the Delhi High Court directed MoCA and relevant authorities to address a representation raising concerns about passenger safety issues and to take appropriate measures to enhance passenger safety standards in India.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has set up an expert panel to review safety gaps between Indian Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) and standards defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), multiple government officials told Moneycontrol.

The panel, comprising officials from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and MoCA, is to review findings by the Airline Users Rights and Grievances Redressal Forum (AURGRF), and address concerns raised by them in the next few weeks, as mandated by the Delhi High Court (HC).

"The concerns raised by AURGRF are being reviewed by the panel and all grievances will be addressed by the end of April," a senior government official told Moneycontrol. He added that passenger safety is the utmost priority of the government, and if the expert panel finds merit in the concerns raised by AURGRF, the government will consider changes to the CAR rules that were notified in January 2023.

Another government official told Moneycontrol that AURGRF's biggest concern is the updation of the Aircraft (Carriage of Dangerous Goods) Rules, 2003, to ensure comprehensive training in the management of dangerous goods and detection of potential terrorist attacks.

"The (aviation) ministry will carry out a review of the current Aircraft (Carriage of Dangerous Goods) Rules and address concerns raised by the forum," the second official said.

MoCA has also started reviewing whether current regulations comply with international standards for speedy detection of threats  and mitigation of dangers faced by passengers and crew members during air travel, the official added.

On March 15, the HC directed the MoCA and relevant authorities to address concerns about passenger safety tabled by AURGRF.

AURGRF representatives met Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on March 20 and highlighted gaps in CAR that compromise  passenger safety by failing to address critical issues, undermine regulatory oversight, and expose passengers to substantial risk.

AURGRF stressed the urgency of addressing these concerns, and cited several incidents that demonstrate the gaps in regulatory implementation and underscore the need for proactive safety measures.

In a presentation to MoCA, the forum pointed out that the CAR and the Aircraft (Carriage of Dangerous Goods) Rules do not comply with international standards as they are not aligned with ICAO Doc 10147 (2021) and IATA’s CBTA approach (2022).

"Current regulatory mechanisms do not ensure comprehensive training in the management of dangerous goods, substantially increasing the likelihood of incidents, including potential terrorist attacks, if strict measures are not enforced," said Biji Eapen, President, AURGRF.

It also highlighted that India lacks a dedicated dangerous goods regulatory control board and a cohesive national framework to implement ICAO 10147 guidelines and IATA standards, thereby weakening accountability for both employers and employees.

AURGRF added that Indian regulations fail to define critical aspects of Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA), such as functions, responsibilities, stakeholders’ roles, function-specific training, depth and level of training, and standardised assessments.

It also said that CAR shifts responsibility for ensuring employee skills and competencies from employers to training providers, undermining employer accountability in supporting hazard identification within the Safety Management System (SMS).

The forum said that Indian regulations also impose age limits and academic qualifications on experienced instructors, reducing requirements to mere civil aviation experience, rather than focussing on expertise and capability.

It also emphasised the need for a proactive, preventive approach to aviation safety, stressing the importance of addressing hazards before incidents occur. Such an approach is aligned with ICAO and IATA guidelines for operational safety and effective enforcement, and best practices in the USA, Canada, the UK, and the UAE.

AURGRF pointed out the urgency of addressing recent aviation safety lapses, citing, among others, a hazardous materials breach at Kolkata Airport on July 29, 2023, involving a prohibited item in a postal bag.

Similarly, on August 16, 2024, a passenger's baggage caused a fire while being loaded onto Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 641 in Mumbai.

"Both incidents involved hydrogen peroxide, a hazardous substance often transported in baggage, cargo, and postal shipments. Yet, despite these recurring threats, no preventive measures or regulatory advisories have been issued to alert the public or industry stakeholders," the forum had said in its presentation to the Delhi High Court, and pointed out  other incidents involving radioactive materials, lithium batteries, and sodium-ion batteries.

In February 2025, AURGRF had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the HC, requesting MoCA and DGCA to take  measures to address the gap in passenger safety standards in India.

The bench of Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed the aviation ministry and competent authorities to decide on the matter submitted by the petitioner by May 2025.