Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)




  • The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the regulatory body in the field of Civil Aviation primarily dealing with safety issues. 

  • It is responsible for regulation of air transport services to/from/within India and for enforcement of civil air regulations, air safety and airworthiness standards. It also co‐ordinates all regulatory functions with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

  • Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the Indian governmental regulatory body for civil aviation under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. 

  • The Government of India is planning to replace the organization with a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), modeled on the lines of the American Federal Aviation Administration(FAA.

  • The DGCA headquarters is located in New Delhi with regional offices in various parts of India. 

  • DGCA has fourteen Regional Airworthiness Offices (RAO) at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Bhopal, Lucknow, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Kanpur, Guwahati and Patiala.

  • DGCA has also five Regional Air Safety offices located at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. It has a Regional Research and Development Office located at Bangalore and a Gliding Centre at Pune.


  • Structure of DGCA -

    DGCA has the following 11 Directorates -
    1. Administration Directorate
    2. Aerodrome Standards Directorate
    3. Air Safety Directorate
    4. Air Transport Directorate 
    5. Airworthiness Directorate
    6. Flight Standards Directorate
    7. Information & Regulation Directorate
    8. Aircraft Engineering Directorate 
    9. Training & Licensing Directorate
    10. Flying Training Directorate
    11. Air Space & Air Navigation Service Standards Directorate


    Functions of DGCA -

    1. Registration of civil aircraft's.
    2. Formulation of standards of Airworthiness for civil aircraft's registered in India and grant of certificates of Airworthiness to such aircraft. 
    3. Licensing of Pilot, Aircraft Maintenance Engineers & Flight Engineers and conducting examinations and checks for that purpose. 
    4. Licensing of Air Traffic Controller (ATC).
    5. Certification of aerodromes and Communication Navigation & Surveillance   (CNS).
    6. Maintaining a check on the excellence of flight crew and also of other operational person such as flight dispatchers and cabin crew.
    7. Granting of air operators certificate to Indian carriers and regulation of air transport services to/from/within/over India by Indian & foreign operators including clearance of scheduled & non-scheduled flight of such operators.
    8. Conducting investigation into incidents and accidents, taking accident prevention methods including formulation and implementation of safety aviation management program.
    9. Issue approval to training organisations for conducting an approved training course for student ATCOs to enable them to attain the level of competency required for obtaining a licence or rating.
    10. Matters relating to Air Space Management, including airspace design, planning and procedures.
    11. To prepare Inspection schedule to inspect Aeronautical Maps & Charts Division at AAI CHQ.
    12. Coordinate with airlines for carrying out the simulator/flight validation of the procedures which have been cleared by DGCA based on the ground validation.
    13. Issue authorization to AAI for promulgation of the procedures which have been approved for implementation.
    14. Coordinate with AAI for any follow up action needed in respect of any procedure for which a feedback has been received for clarification, amendment and / or modification.
    15. Coordinate with AAI for review of Instrument Flight procedures, particularly the procedures which are more than 5 years old.
    16. To amend the DGCA CAR from time to time to ensure compliance with ICAO Annexure on the subject and / or issue any other directions, if required.
    17. To formulate and implement SAR Safety Audit Program.
    18. To coordinate with the concerned ATS / SAR providers to amend SAR related documents for incorporating changes in ICAO Standards & Recommended Practices and / or amendments in DGCA CAR or any other directions.
    19. Renewal of Certification of MET equipment, facilities and systems.
    20. To monitor Meteorological services provisions to all aviation sectors in India, processing including aerodrome meteorological inspections, standards for metrological observations and Met information in AIP India.

    Abbreviations -

    AAI - Airport Authority of India
    AIP - Aeronautical Information Publication
    ATS - Air Traffic Service
    DGCA - Directorate General of Civil Aviation 
    ICAO - International Civil Aviation Organization
    MET - Meterogical
    SAR - Search & Rescue


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