Ombudsman for aviation sector soon

The civil aviation sector is set to get an ombudsman soon. The civil aviation ministry has started work on creating a post for one in the sector.

“We are currently discussing whether to create an ombudsman’s post now or incorporate it in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Act,” said a senior ministry official seeking anonymity.

The official said they could not create a post now, which would be of no value after the CAA Act comes to force. “Unlike aviation, the provision for ombudsman’s post in sectors like banking and insurance is already there in their Acts. But we have only one aircraft Act, which does not have any such provision and that needs to be looked into,” the official said.

On the lines of sectors like banking and insurance, the civil aviation ministry is also looking at creating an ombudsman’s post. The person will look into the problems and complaints of air passengers and be the final appellate authority for them.

A need for an ombudsman was felt after the spot fares in the Delhi-Mumbai route were up to 300 per cent higher. The ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) took note of it and issued circulars asking the airlines to furnish a copy of the route-wise rate across its network in various fare categories, in the manner it is offered in the market on the first day of every calendar month.

The ministry is also looking at forming a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which will supersede the DGCA, and wants powers for CAA to arbitrate in case there are disputes on fares between consumers and airlines. The rules also aims at making it compulsory for airlines to provide the regulator with information on the procedures followed to fix the fares and the number of buckets or seats alloted under various fare tags, among others.

CAA is set to have more financial and human resource autonomy to make sure it functions like an independent regulator. It is to be funded by Rs 12 charged on every air ticket and will not be dependent on the government for funds.

DGCA, which is headed by an Indian Administrative Service officer, lacks such autonomy and is funded by the government. The Union Public Service Commission does the recruitment.