The government is planning a complete makeover of aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation, giving the new body powers to regulate airfares and appoint ombudsmen to address consumer grievances.

As per a report in ET, the revamped DGCA, which is going to be called Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), would have an appellate tribunal, which will hear appeals against its decisions. The process to give more powers to the DGCA was expedited after the Mangalore plane crash last year, which killed 158 people. In October 2009, the International Civil Aviation Organisation was appointed to carry out a feasibility study for the CAA.

The draft bill has also recommended setting up of a separate body to look into aviation accidents, so that the investigative and regulatory functions of the regulator do not clash. At present, the DGCA does safety audits, grants licences and investigates plane crashes.

These recommendations are a part of a draft bill seeking to empower the DGCA and to alleviate the concerns of air travellers who often face sudden spikes in fares and don't have access to a quick grievance redressal system.

The council will be on the lines of the Air Transport Users Council in the UK. "The DGCA, at present, is only a safety regulatory authority. As the sector is growing rapidly, we want the regulator to have more teeth to address passenger grievances and pull up erring airlines, which it can't do now," a senior civil aviation ministry official said.

(You need to login first to read complete news).
New User? Register for FREE!
» Back to Travel News