Lok Sabha Question No. 4438 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-19
Subject: Shortage of ATCs
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Shri K Radhakrishnan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 4438

( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  19th March 2026 )

## SHORTAGE OF ATCs

## 4438.    SHRI K RADHAKRISHNAN Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

(a)  whether  there  is  any  shortage  of  Air  Traffic  Controllers  (ATCs)  and technical staff across various airports of the country and if so, the details and vacancies thereof, airport-wise;

(b) the steps taken to ensure that aviation safety standards are not compromised;

(c) the number of aviation safety incidents reported during the last three years; and

(d)  the  action  taken  by  the  Directorate  General  of  Civil  Aviation  (DGCA)  to improve compliance and monitoring mechanisms?

## ANSWER

Minister  of  State  in  the  Ministry  of  CIVIL  AVIATION            (Shri  Murlidhar Mohol)

(a)  &  (b):  The  deployment  of  Air  Traffic  Control  Officers  (ATCOs)  is undertaken by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) based on the Directorate General of Civil Aviation - Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) on Watch Duty Time Limitations (WDTL) which is as per international norms and also as per air  traffic  volume  at  airports  so  as  to  ensure  safe  and  efficient  air  traffic management.

The  recruitment  of  Air  Traffic  Control  Officers  (ATCOs)  is  a  continuous process  undertaken  by  AAI  in  accordance  with  the  guidelines  prescribed  by DGCA.  With  a  total  sanctioned  strength  of  5537  ATCOs,  AAI  assesses  the requirement  for  ATCOs  from  time  to  time  based  on  the  operational  needs  at various airports. The vacancies are filled through direct recruitment as well as departmental  examinations.  Aviation  safety  is  maintained  through  optimal utilization  of  available  manpower  in  accordance  with  the  extant  norms  and standards.

(c):  The  number  of  aviation  safety  occurrences  for  the  year  2023,  2024  and 2025 (till September 2025) monitored by Airports Authority of India (AAI) as per regulatory (DGCA) requirements is attached as Annexure-A.

(d):  To  examine  compliance  and  ensure  effective  monitoring,  the  DGCA  has carried out surveillance activities in respect of Air Traffic Management (ATM), Search and Rescue (SAR), Aeronautical Information Services (AIS), aeronautical  maps  and  charts  (CARTO),  and  Procedures  for  Air  Navigation Services-Operations (PANS-OPS), in accordance with the Annual Surveillance Plan.

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## AAI SMS Performance Summary - 2023, 2024 and 2025

The table below depicts the Absolute number of occurrences monitored as per regulator's Safety Performance mandatory reporting safety parameters

|   S.No | Occurrences                                                                                                                   |   Occurrences in Numbers (For Year 2023) |   Occurrences in Numbers (For Year 2024) |   Occurrences in Numbers (For Year 2025) |
|--------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
|      1 | Aerodrome Operations Occurrences (Runway incursions/excursions, Bird Strikes, Ramp Incidents)                                 |                                      735 |                                     1498 |                                     1640 |
|      2 | Air Traffic Service Occurrences ( Communication Error, Laser Interferences, Non- Compliance of ATC Instructions by Aircrafts) |                                      382 |                                      689 |                                      696 |

## Annexure-A