After Baramati crash, Centre moves to ‘audit the blind spots’: 400 non-ATC airstrips under inspection

Inspections aim to map safety gaps at nearly 400 non-ATC airstrips used by charters and politicians, following the January 28 Baramati plane crash.

• Civil aviation ministry inspects 400 uncontrolled airstrips for safety gaps
• Inspections aim to create uniform standards and improve emergency preparedness
• Findings will help form a national safety framework monitored by DGCA and states

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The civil aviation ministry has launched a nationwide safety inspection of nearly 400 uncontrolled airstrips to plug regulatory gaps and create uniform operating standards, following the January 28 Baramati plane crash, officials told Hindustan Times.

The exercise aims to map infrastructure shortfalls, emergency preparedness, communication systems and coordination with local authorities at airstrips that currently fall outside routine oversight by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Most of these facilities are owned by state governments and operate without air traffic control (ATC), creating what officials described as a long-standing safety blind spot.

The inspections are expected to culminate in a standardised framework jointly monitored by the DGCA and state governments, officials said.

The move comes weeks after the Baramati crash that killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others, renewing scrutiny of safety at non-ATC airfields where pilots rely on self-coordination rather than controller instructions.

According to Hindustan Times, India has at least 400 Category A airstrips—uncontrolled airports with no ATC services, that are not formally regulated by the DGCA. These airstrips are frequently used by charter aircraft, political parties and flying schools, but often lack standardised protocols for rescue services, runway maintenance and aircraft movement coordination.

“Existing guidelines for such airstrips do not fall under DGCA’s purview. The regulator, in coordination with the states, will evolve a system so that the status and safety standards of these airports are known to the civil aviation authority,” a senior official told Hindustan Times.

Another official confirmed that multi-disciplinary teams have already begun field inspections. “Officers from the department of flight safety, airworthiness and operations have been included, and inspections are underway,” the official said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.

India categorises airports into four classes. Category A airports have no ATC services; Category B airports have limited ATC or aerodrome flight information services; Category C airports operate with procedural ATC without radar; and Category D airports are fully radar-controlled hubs such as Delhi and Mumbai, DGCA officials said.

Among the prominent uncontrolled but operational airstrips are Baramati, Karad and Chandrapur in Maharashtra; Ujjain and Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh; Bhagalpur and Begusarai in Bihar; Alwar in Rajasthan; Sultanpur and Saifai in Uttar Pradesh; and Hassan in Karnataka. Many of these are regularly used by political leaders and business jets.

Aviation experts say even basic safety infrastructure is missing at several locations.

“All landing strips—whether grass, unpaved or dirt tracks, must have minimum infrastructure such as a windsock, basic weather station and CCTV surveillance,” Mark Martin, founder of aviation advisory firm Martin Consultancy, told Hindustan Times. He added that such measures could be implemented by states at a cost of under Rs 2 lakh per strip.

Martin also suggested monthly safety checks by state aviation inspectors and daily online publication of weather data, particularly for remote regions such as the North-East, Lakshadweep and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Officials said the inspection findings will feed into a national monitoring mechanism, marking the first attempt to bring uncontrolled airstrips under a structured safety framework.