The government on Tuesday appointed Vikram Yadav as director general of the DGCA, replacing Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, as part of a broader bureaucratic reshuffle.
Yadav takes charge of India’s aviation regulator at one of its most pressurized moments. The sector has endured a brutal 2025 — marked by one of the deadliest aviation crashes in India’s history, repeated operational failures by airlines that called regulatory oversight into question, and escalating fuel costs — and 2026 has offered little relief.
“The regulatory body is already dealing with several ongoing issues, and with growing traffic, aircraft shortages and global uncertainties, 2026 will be a challenging year,” said a former DGCA official, who requested anonymity.
The incumbent, Kidwai, a 1996 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre who joined the DGCA in January last year, has been posted as Additional Secretary in the Personnel and Training Department.
Yadav, a 1996-batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre, comes to the post from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, where he was Additional Secretary since April last year – an appointment that included additional charge as head of the Central Pollution Control Board. His portfolio at the Ministry of Environment included pollution control, implementation of the Environmental Protection Law, the National Clean Air Programme, management of hazardous materials, and decriminalization of environmental laws, among others.
An engineer by training with an MTech in construction services, he has held senior positions in the works, food supplies and science and technology departments of Odisha before moving to the union government.
Yadav will now take over the regulatory reins for the sector, which recorded its worst year in recent memory and has been ensnared by the two largest airlines.
Air India Flight 171 crashed in June, killing all 241 people on board and 19 people on the ground. The cause of the accident has been the subject of intense scrutiny, with reports suggesting that Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) investigators clashed with their Western counterparts. The final investigation report into the Air India plane crash is expected to be issued this year, as required by international agreements.
Meanwhile, market leader IndiGo came under regulatory scrutiny after a series of mass flight cancellations in December due to poor pilot roster planning, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded.
The current year has exacerbated these pressures. A plane crash in Baramati killed former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others, and a medical plane crashed near Ranchi, killing all seven people. These incidents raised questions about the regulation of non-scheduled operators (NSOPs).
Geopolitical tensions in West Asia now represent the most pressing financial threat to the sector, forcing Indian airlines to use longer international routes and raising costs: fuel accounts for nearly 45% of the air ticket price and air ticket prices are expected to rise from April 1.
Industry insiders warn that some airlines may prefer to cancel flights rather than operate with lower load factors. “With the dollar at INR 95, jet fuel running low, and skies closed in the Middle East, Indian aviation is really facing a tough time,” the former bureaucrat mentioned above said.
According to data shared by the government in Parliament on March 23, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has 1,630 sanctioned jobs. Of these, 441 were established between 2022 and 2024, taking into account the current and future expansion of civil aviation and the enhanced role of the DGCA as a safety regulator. As part of the recruitment process, 167 candidates have already been selected or recommended.
Out of 167 candidates, 106 candidates were issued offer letters. UPSC has been asked to replace 42 candidates (Airworthiness Officers) from the Standby Committee. The government said that the proposal to create 82 positions in various technical cadres is in various stages of processing.
Amid this, the DGCA is also seeking to implement passenger-friendly reforms, including a mandate requiring airlines to offer at least 60% of seats on any flight without additional charges and maintain transparent seat allocation policies.
