New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has carried out as many as 29 “special audits” and 12 “regulatory audits” of airlines, charter operators, and helicopter services as part of the safety oversight exercise from Jan-March this year, the Parliament was informed Thursday.
Similarly, 56 regulatory audits and 9 safety audits of aircraft in the civil aviation sector and airport operators were conducted in 2025, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
The DGCA has a systematic safety oversight mechanism for monitoring compliance with the Rules and Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) encompassing all aircraft and airport operators. The safety oversight process includes regulatory audits, night surveillances, ramp inspections, spot checks, and special audits, the minister said.
The aviation regulator publishes the Annual Surveillance Plan (ASP) on its website. Findings of audits, surveillances and spot checks are followed up with the operator concerned for compliance. Further, the compliance of action taken by the operator is verified during the next audit or surveillance exercise, he said.
The DGCA also issued an order, dated March 27, on “Guidelines for carriage of Central, State and other dignitaries by aircraft” for strict compliance by all stakeholders and mandates the adoption of effective measures to uphold the highest standards of safety in the operation of such flights, the minister stated.
He said that DGCA has conducted safety audits of non-scheduled operator’s permit (NSOP) holders in two phases. While the first one was carried out in February 2026, the second followed in March. Further, the DGCA has planned two more phases of safety audits of NSOP holders.
In case of any violations or non-compliance with regulations detected during the audit, the DGCA takes enforcement action, which includes the imposition of a financial penalty.
An NSOP is a crucial license in Indian aviation issued by the DGCA. It authorises companies or individuals to operate chartered flights, passenger transport, cargo services, and aerial work without following a fixed, published timetable.
Unlike major airlines such as IndiGo or Air India that operate on set routes, NSOP holders provide on-demand, flexible air transport.
The question came against the backdrop of the Baramati aircrash in which Maharashtra Deputy CM and NCP supremo Ajit Pawar and four others died.
Following the accident, the Ministry asked the DGCA to conduct a special audit of VSR Ventures, the company that was operating the Learjet plane involved in the crash.
