Safety measures have prevented major catastrophe: DGCA chief

On a day an EgyptAir plane carrying 66 people crashed over the Mediterranean Sea, DGCA chief M Sathiyavathy said all players in India were following safety measures which has prevented any major catastrophe in its airspace.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) chief said the aviation regulator was also playing its role, while referring to the EgyptAir plane mishap.
"I am glad and thankful to God that at least in India we have not had any major catastrophe, basically because of the safety measures put in place, adopted and followed by all the players including defence forces, civil airlines, non-scheduled operators and lastly the regulator which has played its role," said Sathiyavathy.

An EgyptAir flight headed from Paris to Cairo with 66 people on board crashed in the Mediterranean Sea today after it vanished from radar screens in Egyptian airspace.
However, Sathiyavathy, the Director General at DGCA, emphasised the need for optimal utilisation of airspace citing the fast speed of growth in aviation sector.
She was speaking at the Civil-Military Cooperation Conference, organised by Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
"Airspace is a finite national asset and while we have a lot of cooperation, we need to increase it. We need to engage more and ensure that we are making optimal use of the finite asset so that aviation in India can grow," she said.