Aviation regulator issues time line for delivery of services

In a bid to give a makeover to the aviation regulator's office, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Thursday issued new service standard guidelines which enlist procedures, activities and time line for delivery of various services provided by the government agency.

"The highlight of the document is that it gives the timelines for the completion of an activity resulting in the issue of an approval, license, permit or a certificate by DGCA," the government agency said in a statement.

One of the main tasks of the DGCA is to provide approvals for air safety, incident investigation, issuance of pilot licence, air crew examinations, liasoning with other international safety authorities and giving air worthiness certificates for aircraft, choppers, aerodromes and other ground handling services.

"As part of its initiative for better service, DGCA has also instructed the officers to seek clarification(s) only once from the applicant, especially for services offered to individuals such as pilots, engineers etc," the agency added.

The aviation regulator is trying to reform various procedures and adopting international best practices after it was downgraded by the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) in January this year.

The agency recently conducted surprise raids on private air operators, asked airlines to allow the use of electronic devices by passengers with some conditions and instructed the passenger carriers to use new effective tracking systems after the recent Malaysian Airlines tragedy.