Bill to replace DGCA to be tabled in Parliament

A bill to replace DGCA by a new aviation regulatory body -- the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) -- with full operational and financial autonomy, is likely to be tabled in Parliament in the upcoming Budget Session.

"We are preparing a Cabinet note on creating the CAA. We have sent a draft of the proposal to the Law Ministry. We hope we will be able to table the bill in the second half of this Budget Session itself," Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh told reporters here.

Maintaining that passenger and freight traffic and aircraft movement have grown manifold in the past six years, he said the strength of DGCA, which regulates all these activities, had gone up only in "a miniscule manner" primarily due to the "cumbersome" recruitment process under the UPSC.

With full functional and financial autonomy, the proposed CAA would be able to recruit its own staff, decide on their pay structure and the powers to fix and collect fees for rendering services like safety oversight and surveillance of air navigation services, he said.

"The CAA will be self-financing. It will have a separate fund that would finance its entire expenses. In addition, this fund will also get budgetary support," the Minister said, adding that the estimated cost of the Authority would be around Rs 112 crore.

Asked how much fee would the passenger pay, Singh said it would "not be a noticeable amount ... Just Rs five per ticket. ... As the number of passengers grows, the burden on them will come down."

The CAA would have a Chairperson, a Director General and 7-9 members, including five whole-time members. All of them would be appointed by the Centre on the recommendation of a Selection Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary.