India's Aviation Safety

In the most recent International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rankings, India has risen to 48th place from 102nd in 2018.

Important Points:

The total number of countries is:

• The rankings cover 187 countries and were completed at various points in time.
• An ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) was conducted from November 9 to 16 as part of its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach.

Six areas were evaluated for Effective Implementation (EI):

• Primary Aviation Legislation and Specific Operating Regulations are referred to as LEG.
• ORG stands for Civil Aviation Organization.
• PEL stands for Personnel Licensing and Training.
• OPS stands for Aircraft Operations.
• AIR stands for aircraft airworthiness; and
• AGA stands for Aerodrome and Ground Aid.

Validated Coordinated Mission:

• The ICAO has completed the Coordinated Validated Mission four times for India, the most recent in November of this year.
• It completed the mission in December 2012, covering all areas, and the EI score increased from 79.84% to 81.32%.
• The mission was then repeated in August 2013, focusing on two areas: OPS and AIR. The score rose from 79.73% to 81.19% at the time.
• In November 2018, another mission was completed. LEG, ORG, AIG, ANS, and AGA were all covered. The EI score fell from 71.86% to 69.95% during that time period.
• AIG stands for Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation, and ANS stands for Air Navigation Services.

There are eight critical components:

• The ICAO examines these elements for the safety oversight system, which include primary aviation legislation, specific operating regulations, safety issue resolution, and surveillance obligations.

Score:

• India and Georgia are ranked 48th, each with a score of 85.49%.
• The score of neighboring Pakistan is 70.39%.
• Singapore leads the rankings with a score of 99.69%.
• The UAE is in second place with a score of 98.8%, and the Republic of Korea is in third place (98.24%).
• According to DGCA officials, France (4th; 96.42%), Iceland (5th; 95.73%), Australia (6th; 95.04%), Canada (7th; 94.95%), Brazil (8th; 94.72%), Ireland (9th; 94.6%), and Chile (10th; 93.9%) round out the top ten.

In opposition to China:

• The ranking, which puts India ahead of China (49), is the highest it has ever received.

Following the effects of COVID 19:

• After being severely harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the country's aviation sector is slowly resuming growth, and domestic air traffic is also returning to pre-pandemic levels.

About India's Aviation Industry:

• India has one of the world's fastest growing aviation markets.

Domestic:

• Domestic traffic accounts for 69% of total airline traffic in South Asia.

Capacity:

• By 2023, India's airport capacity is expected to handle 1 billion trips per year.

Ministry in Charge:

• The Ministry of Civil Aviation is in charge of developing national aviation policies and programs.

About AAI (Airports Authority of India):

• It is in charge of developing, upgrading, maintaining, and managing the country's civil aviation infrastructure.
• It operates and manages 137 airports in the country as of June 23, 2020.
• AAI has long-term leased eight of its airports through Public Private Partnership (PPP) for operation, management, and development.

RCS-UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme):

• The top 15 airports in the country handle approximately 83% of total passenger traffic.
• These airports are also nearing capacity, and the Ministry recognises the need to add more Tier-II and Tier-III cities to the aviation network.
• The Regional Connectivity Scheme was launched in 2016 to promote regional air connectivity and make air travel more affordable for the general public.
• The budget for this scheme is Rs 4,500 crore over five years from 2016-17 to 2021-22.
• As of December 16, 2021, 46% of this amount has been released. In 2022-23, the scheme has been allocated Rs 601 crore, which is 60% lower than the revised estimates for 2021-22 (Rs 994 crore).

Challenges:

Maintenance:

• The challenge now is to maintain and further improve the air safety ecosystem.

Financial Stress:

• The aviation sector came under severe financial stress during the Covid-19 pandemic. After air travel was suspended in March 2020, airline operators in India reported losses worth more than Rs 19,500 crore while airports reported losses worth more than Rs 5,120 crore.

Congestion at Airports:

• Domestic air traffic has more than doubled, from approximately 61 million passengers in 2013-14 to approximately 137 million in 2019-20.
• International passenger traffic has increased by more than 6% per year, from 47 million in 2013-14 to around 67 million in 2019-20.
• As a result, airports in India are becoming increasingly congested.
• The majority of major airports are operating at 85% to 120% of their capacity.

Availability of resources:

• The Regional Connectivity Scheme has been delayed due to a lack of available land and the construction of regional infrastructure (RCS-UDAN).
• License issues and unsustainable operation of awarded routes also contribute to the delay.

Infrastructure and capacity:

• Airspace, parking bays, and runway slots will become increasingly scarce in the coming years due to rapid expansion.

Lack of Skilled labor:

• According to a Ministry of Civil Aviation study, Indian aviation could directly support 1.0 to 1.2 million jobs by 2035.
• This means that over the next ten years, approximately 0.25 million people will need to be skilled.
• However, there is a scarcity of and gaps in the availability of industry-recognized skills.

High costs for passengers and cargo:

• Tariff determination: The government has mandated that all airports transition from a single till structure to a hybrid till structure. It raises the cost of flying for both airlines and passengers.
• Taxes on aviation turbine fuel (ATF): ATF is relatively expensive in India due to high taxes and a lack of competition among providers. It is also exempt from GST, resulting in significant regional price disparities.
• The imposition of GST on aircraft leases and spare parts raises costs for the industry.
• Profitless Growth: Rising aviation turbine fuel costs, a slowdown in capacity addition, and a decline in rupee value all contribute to a Profitless Growth scenario.

Aviation safety:

While the number of aviation safety violations in 2017 (337) was lower than in 2016 (442), the absolute number remains high.

Terrorism and security:

• With the rise of global terrorism, airports have become popular targets for terrorist organizations.
• In the absence of a draught passenger charter, adequate services to passengers cannot be guaranteed.

Rising Aviation Turbine Fuel Prices:

• The cost of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) accounts for approximately 40% of total operating costs for airlines, affecting their financial viability.
• ATF prices have been steadily rising in recent years, putting strain on airline companies' balance sheets.
• According to recent news reports, airfares are expected to rise as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine increases the cost of ATF.

Way Forward

• To alleviate traffic congestion, the government should consider privatizing some airports.