Updated on Friday, January 09, 2009, 00:00 IST

New Delhi, Jan 09: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is preparing a roadmap to separate its investigation and regulatory wings, a move that would help to ease burden on the regulator.

The DGCA, while being the sole regulator of aviation activities in the country, is also required to probe all aviation accidents and incidents. Accidents refer to those occurrences in which either lives are lost or injuries caused.

While the government was not considering creating a new body to maintain air safety standards, it has directed DGCA to prepare a road map for separation of its investigation and regulatory wings, official sources said.

The government's directive came in the backdrop of similar recommendations by the UN body, International Civil Aviation Organisation, which recommended that the two jobs should be undertaken by different bodies.

On the safety front, the sources said a Safety Management System was being introduced this month at different airports.

The system, to be established by the air traffic service provider or the ATC and the airport managements, would introduce a systematic approach on safety management and make the entire rung of personnel, accountable, they said.

Since the Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision on November 12, 1996, various safety measures are already in place.

These include mandatory installation of Airborne Collision Avoidance System on aircraft, installation of various kinds of transponders, minimum safe altitude warning systems, separation of air traffic routes over major airports and putting up of the monopulse secondary surveillance radars.

Besides, introduction of English language proficiency tests and several other measures have been introduced in the pilot training courses, they added.

Bureau Report