DGCA, UCADA make two pilots mandatory on Char Dham helicopter charters
The Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have made two pilots mandatory on every Char Dham charter helicopter sortie. It follows the 30 October crash near Joshimath that killed all six on board, including the pilot. Eleven operators, citing costs, threatened to suspend charters from 2 November pending a review.
Syllabus: GS2 · Statutory & Regulatory Bodies; GS3 · Infrastructure; GS3 · Disaster Management
Why this matters for UPSC
GS2 governance and GS3 infrastructure: how the DGCA regulates air safety under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024. Prelims can ask the DGCA's binding directions and the Centre's review; Mains, hill helicopter safety.
Why it matters
A pilgrim flying to Badrinath or Kedarnath depends on one person threading steep valleys where cloud and wind can turn suddenly. A second pilot shares that work and can take over if the first is taken ill, a possibility one operator raised about the Joshimath crash. The same rule adds crew and lodging bills, so seats may cost more, or flights may stop if operators carry out their threat. The clash tests whether a regulator can tighten safety quickly without asking the industry, and whether the Centre will step in to settle it. For a hill State where these flights are a growing part of the pilgrimage economy, both safety and access hang on the answer.
Prelims pointers
- The DGCA, BCAS and AAIB were constituted under the Aircraft Act, 1934 and are deemed constituted under the 2024 Act, each headed by a Centre-appointed Director General.
- DGCA directions under the 2024 Act can reach anyone using an aerodrome or engaged in aircraft operations, air traffic control or running an aerodrome.
- The DGCA may issue such directions in the interests of the security of India as well as for the safety of aircraft operations.
- Because aviation is in the Union List, a Central law and a Central regulator, the DGCA, govern flying even within a single State.
- The 2024 Act lets the Centre make rules on when aircraft may carry passengers, on licensing people who operate or maintain aircraft, and on life-saving equipment.
- For the 2026 Char Dham season, the DGCA required pilots to have at least 750 hours of hill flying, including 100 hours in the preceding year (PIB, June 2026).
Practise a UPSC-style question
With reference to the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, consider the following statements:
1. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation was first constituted under this Act in 2024.
2. Directions issued by the DGCA by order under the Act must be complied with by the person to whom they are issued.
3. The Central Government may, on a representation, review a DGCA order and direct the DGCA to rescind or modify it.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show the answer
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only. The Act binds operators to DGCA directions and lets the Centre review them; the DGCA itself is older.
Statement 1: incorrect. The Act says the DGCA constituted under the Aircraft Act, 1934 is deemed to be constituted under the 2024 Act; it was carried over, not created.
Statement 2: correct. The Act requires every order issuing directions to be complied with by the person to whom it is issued.
Statement 3: correct. Where the public interest needs it, the Centre may review a DGCA order on a representation or on its own and direct the DGCA to rescind or modify it.
Eliminate: statement 1 is the surest, since the Act carries the DGCA over from the 1934 law. Out: (a), (c), (d).
Trap: Swapped attribution. A new Act makes it tempting to think it created the regulator; the DGCA was set up under the Aircraft Act, 1934.
Remember: the DGCA, the BCAS and the AAIB were carried over from the Aircraft Act, 1934 into the 2024 Act.
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