New aviation regulator takes over as sector faces spate of challenges

THe authorities on tues ordained Vir Vikram Yadav as theater director superior general of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), replacing Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, as part of a wider bureaucratic reshuffle.Yadav takes charge of India’s aviation regulator at one of its most pressured moments. The sector endured a punishing 2025 — marked by one of the deadliest air crashes in India’s history, repeated operational failures by airlines that put regulatory oversight in question, and mounting fuel costs — and 2026 has offered little relief.“The regulator is already dealing with multiple ongoing issues, and with traffic growth, aircraft shortages and global uncertainties, 2026 will be a challenging year,” a former DGCA official said, asking not to be named.The incumbent, Kidwai, a 1996-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre who joined the DGCA in January last year, has been appointed additional secretary in the department of personnel and training.Yadav, a 1996-batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, comes to the role from the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, where he has been additional secretary since April last year — an appointment that included additional charge as chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board. His portfolio at the environment ministry spanned pollution control, implementation of the Environment Protection Act, the National Clean Air Programme, management of hazardous substances, and the decriminalisation of environmental laws, among others.An engineer by training with an MTech in building services, he has held senior positions in Odisha’s Works, Food Supplies, and Science and Technology departments before moving to the union government.Yadav will now take over the regulatory reins of a sector that recorded its worst year in recent memory and ensnared the two biggest airlines.Air India flight 171 crash in June, killing 241 people on board and 19 on the ground. The cause of the crash has been a subject of intense scrutiny, with reports indicating investigators of India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) clashed with their western counterparts. The final investigation report on the Air India crash is, as required by international accords, expected this year.Market leader IndiGo, meanwhile, has come under regulatory scrutiny after a spate of mass flight cancellations in December tied to poor pilot roster planning left tens of thousands of passengers stranded.The current year has compounded these pressures. A crash in Baramati killed former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others and a medical jet crashed near Ranchi, killing all seven people. The incidents prompted questions around the regulation of non-scheduled operators (NSOPs).Geopolitical tensions in West Asia now present the most pressing fiscal threat for the sector, having forced Indian carriers onto longer international routes and driving up costs: fuel accounts for roughly 45% of an air ticket’s price and airfares are set to rise from April 1.Industry insiders warn that some airlines may prefer to cancel flights rather than operate on lower load factors. “With the dollar at 95 INR, jet fuel running low, and skies closed over the Middle East, Indian aviation is really facing a tough time,” the former bureaucrat quoted above said.According to data shared by the government in Parliament on March 23, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has 1,630 sanctioned posts. Of these, 441 were created between 2022 and 2024, considering the current and future expansion of civil aviation and the DGCA’s enhanced role as a safety regulator. As part of recruitment exercise, 167 candidates have already been selected or recommended.Of the 167, offer letters have been issued to 106 candidates. UPSC has been requested to replace 42 candidates (Airworthiness Officers) from the reserve panel. Proposal for 82 posts across different technical cadres is at various stages of processing, the government said.Amid this, the DGCA is also pushing through passenger-friendly reforms, including a mandate requiring airlines to offer at least 60% of seats on any flight without additional charge and maintain transparent seat allocation policies.