'2,645 vacancies across AAI, 3 aviation regulators; IndiGo cancellations affected over 10 lakh passengers', says govt

IndiGo cancelled about 4,500 flights in the first weeks of December, stranding tens of thousands of passengers nationwide. (Representative image)

The government has informed Parliament that a combined 2,645 posts remain unfilled at the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and three key aviation watchdogs -- Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA).

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said the ministry and its attached offices regularly initiate measures to plug manpower gaps.

“Adequate steps are taken from time to time to fill up vacancies under the ministry, including its attached offices and regulatory bodies,” he said.

At DGCA alone, 787 posts are vacant, a situation attributed largely to organisational restructuring. The minister said the shortfall is 'largely due to the creation of 441 additional posts as part of the restructuring undertaken during 2022-2024.'

The bulk of the remaining vacancies lie with AAI. Mohol told the House that 1,667 positions related to direct recruitment in executive cadres are currently unfilled.

“To address these, AAI has expedited recruitment, redeployed staff at operationally sensitive airports, created additional ATCO posts in line with expanding airspace requirements...,” he said, referring to Air Traffic Controllers.

BCAS and AERA, which primarily function through deputation, together account for 191 vacant posts. “BCAS and AERA are deputation-based organisations, vacancy circulars are issued periodically to fill posts in accordance with the prescribed norms,” the minister added.

Separately, Mohol disclosed that IndiGo, India's largest airline by market share, cancelled 6,936 flights over the past three months, impacting 10,81,680 passengers. He attributed December 2025 cancellations to multiple factors, including “over optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, along with deficiencies in system software support, shortcomings in management structure and operational control.”

He also noted that a significant number of December cancellations were linked to adverse weather conditions.

IndiGo cancelled about 4,500 flights in the first weeks of December, stranding tens of thousands of passengers nationwide and highlighting concerns over limited competition in the world's fastest-growing aviation market.

Also read: Did IndiGo create an ‘artificial shortage’ of seats? CCI orders probe after December flight chaos