Lok Sabha Question No. 1849 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-11
Subject: Shortage of Staff in ATCs
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Smt. Rachna Banerjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

## LOK SABHA

(UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 1849)

( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  11 th   December 2025 )

## SHORTAGE OF STAFF IN ATCS

## 1849.    SMT RACHNA BANERJEE Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

(a) the details of the sanctioned strength of Air Traffic Control (ATC) personnel and the number of vacancies, ATC-wise;

(b) the number of operational ATC personnel training centres in the country along with the number of personnel trained during the last five years, year and training Centre-wise; and

(c) whether it is a fact that the shortage of ATC personnel has led to the merging or shutdown of key operational units and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION

(Shri Murlidhar Mohol)

(a): Air Traffic is managed by Airports Authority of India (AAI) through a total sanctioned strength of 5537 Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs). The total vacancies of ATCOs is 1260 with 396 vacancies in Northern Region, 331vacancies in Southern Region, 286 vacancies in Western Region, 199 vacancies in Eastern Region and 48 vacancies in North-eastern Region.

(b): AAI has seven (7) operational ATC personnel training centres, which include three Air Traffic Services Training Organisations (ATSTOs) namely, Civil Aviation Training College (CATC), Prayagraj, Hyderabad Training Center (HTC), Hyderabad and National Institute of Aviation Training And Management (NIATAM), Gondia and four Regional Training Centers (RTCs) located at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. The number of ATC personnel trained during the last five years, year and training-centre wise is at Annexure.

;

- (c): The deployment of Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs) is undertaken by 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.  Aviation  safety  is  maintained  through  optimal  utilization  of  available manpower in accordance with the extant norms and standards. No key operational units have been shutdown due to manpower shortage.

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## Annexure referred to in reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1849 for 11.12.2025

| FINANCIAL YEAR      |   CATC, PRAYAGRAJ |   HTC, HYDERABAD |   NIATAM, GONDIA |   RTC DELHI |   RTC MUMBAI |   RTC KOLKATA |   RTC CHENNAI |   TOTAL YEAR- WISE |
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|------------------|-------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|--------------------|
| 2021-22             |               370 |               57 |               65 |          78 |          659 |           555 |           481 |               2265 |
| 2022-23             |               811 |              117 |              225 |          85 |          702 |          1032 |           563 |               3535 |
| 2023-24             |              1087 |              164 |              322 |          60 |          809 |           874 |           667 |               3983 |
| 2024-25             |               708 |              268 |              209 |         136 |          864 |           919 |           930 |               4034 |
| 2025-26 (Till Date) |               743 |              269 |              159 |          91 |          478 |           894 |           562 |               3196 |