By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-07-22 06:56:42 | Updated at 2026-07-22 08:28:38
1 hour ago
NEW DELHI - India has reprimanded its aviation safety regulator for failing to guard against officials using their influence to help family members get jobs in the sector and for delays in disclosing such placements, government documents reviewed by Reuters show.
India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation has repeatedly challenged its safety body, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), since mid-2025 over the handling of conflicts involving officials’ relatives in airlines, including an instance that involved Air India, according to the documents.
The concerns come at a critical time for the DGCA as it oversees one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets while battling staffing shortages after a year of heightened scrutiny following an Air India Dreamliner crash, safety lapses at the airline and disruption at the country’s largest carrier, IndiGo.
The DGCA is also contending with a federal police investigation after one of its officers was accused of taking a bribe and is due within months to undergo a routine US Federal Aviation Administration safety audit.
A January DGCA document reviewed by Reuters summarised the ministry’s concerns over the regulator’s handling of conflicts of interest.
“(The) DGCA has not been able to effectively prevent or manage the possible influence exercised by its officials in the recruitment or placement of their relatives, family members, or dependents,” it said.
The documents did not indicate whether the ministry planned further action.
As of Jan 31, 51 DGCA officials had disclosed 59 relatives working in the sector, up from 33 officials disclosing 41 relatives a year earlier, one of the documents showed.
The relatives worked at companies including IndiGo, Air India, Akasa Air, Airbus India and some flying schools and airport operators.
The ministry, the DGCA and the companies employing the relatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Disclosures and approval
Indian rules prohibit federal employees from using their position or influence to secure jobs for family members and require disclosures and approvals. Conflict-of-interest concerns have surfaced before across India’s public sector, including at the DGCA, where four officers were censured in 2013.
The civil aviation ministry remains concerned there is “potential for regulatory influence” as DGCA officers could withhold disclosure of relatives’ employment at airlines they oversee and soften regulatory scrutiny, said a senior official with direct knowledge of the matter.
The official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, cited one example where a DGCA official was found to have around 12 relatives employed in the sector, but the ministry learned about it only after the officer’s retirement.
Then-DGCA chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai in 2025 sought more powers on several administrative matters, including authority to handle potential conflict-of-interest cases internally.
He argued in a July 2025 letter that the ministry approval process led to “administrative delays” and that decision-making should be streamlined.
The ministry rejected the request, saying the DGCA’s “continued expression of inability to fix responsibility for delays or lack of approval has been alarming,” the January document said.
Kidwai, now posted to India’s Department of Personnel and Training, did not respond to a request for comment.
Official’s sister hired at Air India
A DGCA assistant director of engineering was questioned in 2025 about his apparent conflict of interest after his sister took up employment in Air India’s quality department while he was involved in granting regulatory approvals affecting the airline, the documents show.
The DGCA argued to the ministry that his sister was an independent widow and that the specific rule requiring prior approval covered only dependents like sons and daughters, though it said he would no longer handle Air India matters as a precaution.
“Sister comes under the purview of family,” the aviation ministry said in an August 2025 document, rejecting the DGCA’s proposal to approve the case.
“Influence/involvement of officer can’t be ruled out ... There remains ambiguity about the transparency and legitimacy of the appointment process.”
US ethics rules generally require officials to recuse themselves from matters where family relationships could reasonably call their impartiality into question, while Europe’s aviation regulator requires declarations of interest and may restrict staff duties to manage conflicts.
Harsh Vardhan Pratap Singh, president of the Association of Flying Training Organisations, said the DGCA should publish a list of officers whose relatives work in the sector it regulates.
“The fundamental methods to ensure the ultimate goal of safety are transparency in declarations by officers,” REUTERS
