The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is facing a tough time managing flights all over the country, with acute shortage of air traffic controllers (ATCs) — who maintain safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic. “There is a shortage of ATCs and AAI is working on the hiring process,” a civil aviation ministry official said. AAI, which is under the ministry of civil aviation is responsible for creating, managing and maintaining aviation infrastructure in the country.
In March, two flights by Etihad Airways and Emirates had a near miss as they were just 1,000 feet apart. There have been several instances like this, mostly in Mumbai and Delhi — the busiest airports. Experts said ATCs are overworked, and that might be a cause behind these incidents.
It has also been reported that the shortage in controllers has led to flight delays, especially in Mumbai. Mumbai alone needs another 190 controllers. What comes as an additional burden is that between 2017 and 2018, another 10% of ATCs are likely to retire, adding to the shortage.
The four major ATC centres in India are Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. Mumbai has 255 controllers, Delhi 360, Kolkata 230, and Chennai 240. These four centres consume about half of the total ATCs, and yet face shortage.
Ministry officials, however, said flight delay is not a handicap, but as Indian aviation expands with more regional connectivity, new airlines coming into the fray and more flights operating every day, the problem can become serious.
In 2012, AAI had started a hiring drive to get on board 2,500 ATCs, but not much has changed since then. In a recent report, AAI officials said they are in the process of completing hiring of 450 ATCs, and another 200 will soon be taken in.
Ministry officials said that there is no timeline as to when hiring will be completed. Meanwhile, many young controllers have left the job due to more lucrative options either abroad or outside AAI. Experts said ATCs are much in demand, especially in the Middle East, where the pay scale is much higher. ATC officials have conveyed interest in having a separate company, and not being a part of AAI. They said having independent operations will solve many issues.