Dgca

Delhi govt plans drone clusters, smart governance under new policy

The Delhi government's proposed drone policy is likely to focus on creating drone research clusters, establishing dedicated flight testing facilities, enabling the use of drones in traffic management, and providing subsidies to support the drone ecosystem, officials said on Saturday. According to officials, in a recently held meeting, the policy framework was discussed, where plans to rope in the Drone Federation of India (DFI), a leading non- government organisation in this area, were approved. Earlier this year, the government set up a committee under the chairmanship of the IT department secretary to examine the feasibility of the Delhi Drone Policy. "A comprehensive drone policy is being planned to ensure safe and regulated drone operations. Along with this, the government is working on an IT dashboard, a digital monitoring system to provide effective governance," IT minister Pankaj Singh said. According to officials, the policy's key objectives include regulating drone usage t

Govt reshuffles bureaucracy, appoints new secretaries across ministries

Centre appoints new secretaries across key ministries including Information & Broadcasting, Tourism and Minority Affairs, along with DGCA leadership change

Vikram Yadav new DGCA chief; Faiz Ahmed Kidwai's turbulent tenure ends

Faiz Ahmed Kidwai moved after tenure marked by aviation crises, safety lapses and regulatory challenges, as Centre appoints Vir Vikram Yadav as new DGCA chief

Flight disruptions, CEO exit, new boss: IndiGo's turbulent few months

IndiGo's December flight disruption triggered regulatory action, fare caps and leadership changes; the airline has now brought in aviation veteran Willie Walsh as CEO to steer recovery

Airlines to offer 60% seats in flights without extra charges from April 20

Airlines will start offering at least 60 per cent of seats in a flight without levying any additional charge from April 20, as well as maintain a transparent seat allocation policy, according to aviation watchdog DGCA. On March 18, the civil aviation ministry announced that directions have been issued to the DGCA to direct airlines to allocate a minimum of 60 per cent of seats for selection on any flight free of charge to ensure fair access for passengers. In this regard, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued the amended Air Transport Circular dated March 20. A DGCA official said the circular would come into effect from April 20. The regulator has said that airlines should ensure at least "60 per cent of the seats in any flight shall be offered free of charge". "Airlines should maintain transparent seat allocation policies and clearly communicate the availability of free seats and applicable conditions on their booking interfaces," as per a revised circular dated

Summer flight approvals moderated after IndiGo disruption in Dec: Report

Airlines will be operating lesser number of flights in the current summer schedule as the civil aviation authorities decided to be 'little more moderate" in approving the number of services in the backdrop of IndiGo's massive operational disruptions last December. A highly-placed source said the civil aviation ministry and regulator DGCA do not want a situation similar to what happened at IndiGo in December last year. The summer schedules of the airline have been approved after taking into consideration the availability of aircraft, pilots and other aspects, the source said. In the domestic summer schedule, airlines are set to operate at least 10 per cent less flights compared to the number flights flown during the same period a year ago. Aviation watchdog DGCA has published the domestic flights summer schedule, which is from March 29 to October 24, for nine scheduled airlines. During the 2025 summer schedule, there were 25,610 weekly flights and this time, a 10 per cent reduction

Pilots' association urges DGCA to halt flights to conflict zones over risks

ALPA asked the DGCA to issue binding directives regarding operations in conflict regions and initiate a thorough inquiry into the decision-making processes within Air India

DGCA tells pilots to resist pressure on VVIP flights, stress safety norms

The aviation regulator has issued stricter norms for VVIP flights, directing pilots to prioritise safety, resist undue pressure and follow enhanced operational protocols

DGCA is looking to ease rules for airlines to help them grow: Chief

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is trying to promote ease of doing business for airlines to help them grow and flourish as well as taking steps for passenger rights, its chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai said on Thursday. There are big challenges for airlines, including taking longer routes and higher operational costs due to airspace restrictions, he said, expressing hope that there would be "better days". The ongoing West Asia conflict is posing more challenges for airlines, which have curtailed services to the region. "It is not only passenger rights which we are looking at... we are trying to ease things for the airlines also and the rules and regulations which are there, promote ease of doing business because we want our airlines to grow and flourish," Kidwai said. He said many airlines have gone bust in India and emphasised the need to support carriers. India is one of the world's fastest-growing civil aviation markets and the DGCA as well as the civil aviation minist

Travel companies, hotels announce discounts for peak travel season

Travel firms and hotels announce discounts to tap rising summer demand, even as higher fuel costs and policy changes are expected to push up airfares during the peak season

Indian airlines to operate 10% fewer domestic flights in summer: DGCA

Indian airlines are set to operate a little over 23,000 weekly domestic flights during the summer schedule starting from March 29, which is 10 per cent less than the services flown during the same period a year ago. Aviation watchdog DGCA has published the domestic flights summer schedule, which is from March 29 to October 24, for nine scheduled airlines. A senior DGCA official on Thursday told PTI that the airlines would be operating around 10 per cent fewer flights in 2026 summer schedule compared to the previous summer schedule. During the 2025 summer schedule, there were 25,610 weekly flights and this time, a 10 per cent reduction would mean the number of services will come down by 2,561. Accordingly, the total count will be about 23,049 weekly flights, as per an analysis. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has put out the airline-wise domestic summer schedule for 2026 on its website but has not provided a consolidated figure and comparison with the previous summe

DGCA seeks corrective steps from Air India over Vancouver flight error

Aviation watchdog DGCA has asked Air India to take corrective measures after the airline deployed a wrong aircraft for operating a flight to Vancouver last week, a senior official said on Thursday. Action has also been taken against an airline official for the incident, the senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told PTI. A Vancouver-bound Air India Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft, after being airborne for over seven hours, returned to Delhi on March 19 after it was found that the plane was not approved for operating the flight. The approval is only for Boeing 777-300 ER to operate that flight. Following the incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had sought a report from the airline. Air India has been asked to take corrective measures to ensure that such incidents do not happen again, and action has also been taken against an airline official, the DGCA official said. Specific details could not be ascertained. There was no immediate com

Form high-level committee to review systemic failures: Parl panel to MoCA

Parliamentary panel flags systemic failures, rising defects and staff shortages, urges Civil Aviation Ministry to conduct root-cause review within 90 days

DGCA releases summer schedule for domestic airlines, effective March 29

On Sunday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation decided to withdraw the temporary fare caps on domestic airfares starting Monday (March 23)

Airlines warn free seat mandate will raise fares, hurt affordability

We were not consulted before this order was passed, said the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA)

DGCA asks airlines to avoid 9 airspaces, ensure backup plan amid Iran war

Amid escalating conflict in West Asia, aviation watchdog DGCA on Thursday asked airlines to avoid nine airspaces in the region and ensure robust contingency plans as part of safety risk assessments. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to avoid the airspaces of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to an advisory. Indian airlines can operate flights over Oman and Saudi Arabia airspaces subject to certain conditions, the regulator said. It told the airlines not to operate below FL 320 or 32,000 feet within the airspace of Saudi Arabia and Oman located south of the segments defined by following compulsory reporting points. About the nine airspaces, the DGCA asked airlines to "refrain from operating within the affected airspace...at all flight levels and altitudes". Any continued operations would be at the discretion of the operator based on their safety risk assessment, it added. "Operati

IndiGo pares gains, SpiceJet shares fall 1% as DGCA mandates 60% free seats

As of 10:44 AM, IndiGo share price was quoted at ₹4,349.80, up 1.45 per cent, and the SpiceJet share price was quoted at ₹13.10 per share, down 1.8 per cent.

60% seats on every flight to be free to choose: DGCA rolls out new norms

Under the new rule, airlines must allocate a minimum of 60 per cent of seats on each flight without any seat selection charges

Extended duty limits could threaten flight safety: Pilots' union to DGCA

Federation of Indian Pilots warns that DGCA's temporary relaxation in flight duty limits for Air India long haul flights could heighten fatigue risks and compromise safety

DGCA allows longer pilot duty hours for Air India amid West Asia crisis

Large chunks of the West Asian airspace have since remained closed for commercial flights