Campbell Wilson, a Singapore Airlines veteran who had been named CEO in 2022, was originally supposed to stay in the position until 2027. However, the airline announced his resignation on 7 April 2026.

“Air India’s privatisation has seen the acquisition and successful merger of four airlines. It has seen the complete modernisation of systems, the launch of new physical products, and the deployment of elevated service standards on ground and in the air, as well as 100 additional aircraft added to the fleet. With these foundational blocks now settling and a brief window until deliveries from the nearly 600-strong aircraft orderbook commence in earnest from 2027, the time is right for me to hand over the reins for the next phase of Air India’s rise. It has been a true honour to play a small part in this latest chapter of Air India’s long history,” Campbell Wilson stated.

Official: Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has resigned and will remain in his role until a successor is appointed.

Wilson’s resignation was accepted at a board meeting last week, and he is expected to continue with the airline to ensure a smooth transition, potentially until… pic.twitter.com/OdXKdDUXVV

— FL360aero (@fl360aero) April 7, 2026

Difficult timing

His step-down as CEO comes at a particularly difficult moment for Air India. On 12 June 2025, the London-bound Boeing 787-8 aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff at Ahmedabad airport, killing 141 out of the 142 passengers on board as well as 19 people on the ground. Ever since, the airline has been reprimanded by aviation regulators for a series of safety failings.

Moreover, the airline has been heavily impacted by the US-Israel war on Iran, which obliged the rerouting of many flights and caused a hefty increase in jet fuel prices. According to the British newspaper The Independent, Air India and its low-cost arm Air India Express reached Rs 98.08 billion (€954 million) in losses in 2024-25, while experts believe this could rise to Rs 200 billion (€1.95 billion) in 2025-26.

Finally, Air India Express’ managing director left in March 2026 after a five-year term, leaving both airlines without a clear leader.

“Air India Board has constituted a committee that will find the successor in the coming months. Mr Wilson had conveyed his intention to step down in 2026 to Air India chairman N. Chandrasekaran in 2024 and, since then, has been working to ensure the organisation and leadership team are on a stable footing for the transition. He will remain in the role until his successor is announced and in place,” Air India’s statement reads.

Air India today announced the resignation of Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Campbell Wilson.

Mr. Wilson had conveyed his intention to step down in 2026 to Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran in 2024 and, since then, has been working to ensure the organization and… pic.twitter.com/6EKEq1wDjT

— Air India Newsroom (@AirIndia_News) April 7, 2026

“I wish to record my deep appreciation for Campbell’s leadership and contribution over the past four years… (It) is worth acknowledging the numerous external challenges navigated by the Air India team, including prolonged post-COVID supply chain constraints that have impacted delivery of new aircraft and retrofit programs as well as major geopolitical and other headwinds. Campbell and his team have demonstrated tenacity and resolve and have aligned an organisation drawn from many backgrounds behind the shared goal of building the new Air India that is now emerging,” Air India chairman N. Chandrasekaran added.

Wilson’s resignation was announced days after the appointment of Willie Walsh as CEO of Air India’s rival IndiGo. The previous CEO, Pieter Elbers, stepped down following mass flight cancellations in December 2025.

L’article Air India CEO resigns as airline grapples with impact of Ahmedabad crash and financial troubles est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Existing Indian aviation laws already cover the consequences for “unruly behaviour.” Any disturbance that “interferes with the performance of duties of crew members, jeopardises the safety of the aircraft, persons or property on board, affects good order and discipline, or causes discomfort to other passengers and crew members” can be penalised, resulting in passengers being removed from flights, restrained under the pilot’s orders, or taken into custody. Penalties from the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) can include hefty fines and up to two years in prison.

Responding to an MP’s question on aviation law, India’s Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told parliament on 12 February 2026 that authorities would “act on complaints,” suggesting that, though rules already exist to govern this area, they would start to be more strictly enforced.

So I board this @airvistara flight, and the dude in front of me has his phone on a speaker, no earphones. "Sorry", he says " my earphones are not working, am in a conf call".
Dude, in my time, we used to hold our phone to our ears. Works brilliantly. Remember?#bangaloreITdudes

— Jaspreet Bindra : Homo Promptus (@j_bindra) March 11, 2020

Mohol went on to clarify the difference between the ambient music played on planes during flight phases such as boarding and arrival, which is an acceptable use of sound, and the use of passengers’ personal devices, such as mobile phones or other electronic gadgets with no headphones to play entertainment out loud.

The minister also took the opportunity to point out that vlogging and photography inside aircraft are restricted activities that require prior authorisation under Rule 13 of the Aircraft Rules.

It’s worth noting that in line with US Federal Aviation Administration and EU Aviation Safety Agency guidelines, most airlines allow the use of wireless headphones above 10,000 feet (so not during take-off and descent). However, some do not. Emirates forbids all wireless headphones, and China Southern requires pre-approved models. Passengers may be asked to remove headphones to listen to cabin announcements or respond to the crew. Noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones are usually permitted, but their beware in-flight rules on batteries and charging. Again, some crews request ANC deactivation during safety briefings.

The use, or not, of in-flight entertainment became the subject of a viral trend last year and coined the term “rawdogging” to describe the act of travel without any distractions, including refreshments, music, or films. Rawdoggers embrace the mental discipline and mindfulness demanded by refraining from any amusements during travel, while critics have questioned the health impacts of the practice.

L’article India warns air passengers to use headphones or face penalties est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

In India, the world’s fastest-growing aviation market, IndiGo plays the leading role, organising some 65% of the domestic flights. As the country’s largest airline, many thousands of people depend on it to reach their destination. However, at the start of December 2025, some 4,500 flights were cancelled, leaving tens of thousands of travellers stranded.

– @DGCAIndia slaps a ₹22 crore fine on @IndiGo6E over the December crisis.
Regulator also asks the airline to submit ₹50 crore in bank guarantees, to be released subject to DGCA inspections in the coming months.
IndiGo must show improvement. #aviation #Indian #avgeeks pic.twitter.com/q6tEfCEiu8

— Ashoke Raj (@Ashoke_Raj) January 17, 2026

While at the time, IndiGo blamed poor pilot roster planning for the numerous cancellations, they sparked a probe by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). That investigation led to several discoveries regarding operational deficiencies, which started when stricter pilot rest and duty rules were imposed over the course of 2025 – even though the airline had had two years to prepare for those changes.

According to the DGCA, IndiGo INGL.NS was not able to identify planning gaps or maintain adequate operational buffers. Instead, the regulator accused the airlines of focusing too much on maximising the use of crew, aircraft, and network resources. Because of that poor choice of priorities, the roster integrity was compromised, and the operational resilience was impacted. The regulator pointed towards “a failure to strike a balance between commercial imperatives and crew members’ ability to work effectively.”

.@IndiGo6E the refund of December flight is yet to be received and it has been 'processing' for months now. Yet IndiGo outrightly lies to DGCA saying it has cleared all the refund dues for customers. Extremely unprofessional.

— Thadhagath Pathi (@PathiThadhagath) January 20, 2026

Record fine, small impact?

Following those conclusions, the regulator served IndiGo a 222 million Indian rupees (€2.1 or $2.45 million) fine on Saturday, 17 January 2026. According to a government source, it is the largest fine to ever be imposed by the regulator so far. However, the sum only represented 0.31% of IndiGo’s annual profit for the fiscal year of 2024-2025.

Moreover, senior executives received a warning from the DGCA, including Chief Operating Officer Isidre Porqueras and CEO Pieter Elbers, who was blamed for “inadequate overall oversight of flight operations and crisis management” by the regulator. Jason Herter, senior vice president of the operations control center, was asked to be relieved of his operational duties.

After Dec 2025 operational Chaos DGCA have put IndiGo under tight watch. The airline now claims stability assuring no mass flight cancellations after Feb 10, 2026, citing adequate pilot strength and compliance with new FDTL safety norms. @DGCAIndia @MoCA_GoI #indigo #aviation https://t.co/RkosZqh8FJ

— Varun (@varunbhasinji) January 20, 2026

Finally, the regulator ordered IndiGo to provide a bank guarantee of €4.7 million ($5.51) in favour of the DGCA. That money will be used as a lever to ensure the airline’s “compliance with the directives and long-term systemic correction”.

In a statement released after the issuing of the fine, IndiGo said it is “committed to taking full cognisance of the orders and will, in a thoughtful and timely manner, take appropriate measures.”

L’article Indian airline IndiGo receives record €2.1 million fine est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The Kolkata Tram System has served the capital of West Bengal since 1873, making it the second-oldest tram operation in the world after Turin. It has gone through horse-drawn and steam-powered iterations and was electrified as early as 1902. The trams are beloved of many public transport users in the city and even as far away as Melbourne, Australia, which shares a cultural celebration of trams with Kolkata, uniting tram lovers or “gunzels” through the joint Tramjatra Festival.

The Beauty of Route 36 of Kolkata Tram. Sadly this route is still closed due to WB Government negligence. pic.twitter.com/CKMVRdqmo2

— Vaibhav Nama (@VaibhavNam63318) January 6, 2026

Kolkata received a C40 Cities “Green Mobility” award in 2019 for electric bus development, and Mayor Firhad Hakim promised at the time that trams were integral to Kolkata’s 2030 all-electric city transport strategy. However, the iconic tram network has been deprioritised under a West Bengal government project that has seen the system shrink from 340 trams in its heyday to just two lines and a fleet of 10. Officials have said they intend to keep just one heritage tram running, for nostalgia trips.

Still, tram enthusiasts are fighting to prevent the decline of their beloved network and keep its clickety-clack and ding-ding among the sounds of the cityscape. Though depots and tramcars have been decommissioned and lines have been covered by the bitumen of new roads, a court order to prevent those works was issued nearly a year ago.

The West Bengal Transport Department has initiated construction of a concrete bus shelter on the tram tracks at Curzon Park. The loop at Curzon Park was reconstructed in 2021 to restore the tram movement between Khidirpur and Esplanade. The dismantling coincided with Kolkata's… pic.twitter.com/kdCAKmxUrF

— The West Bengal Index (@TheBengalIndex) November 24, 2025

Ruling against the destruction of lines last year, Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam said the trams were part of the city’s heritage and noted that Kolkata appeared to be going against a tide of public opinion and environmental evidence that has helped to re-establish tram networks around the world, in some cases running down the middle of roads.

Melbourne’s network operates 100% offset by renewable energy. From Manchester to Montpellier, and Salvador to Sichuan, trams are growing, and some argue they are needed more than anywhere else in Kolkata, where University of Chicago research has found residents suffer higher exposure to vehicular air pollution than any other Indian city. High numbers of inhabitants live near major roads, which have seen an “exponential increase” in vehicles. The study showed the city’s annual registration of four-wheelers surged fivefold between 2016 and 2024, and two-wheelers more than doubled in the same period.

@masoom.realtor Kolkata's tram system is India's only operating tram network, a historic, eco-friendly mode of transport since 1873, offering nostalgic rides through the city's old streets on routes like those connecting Esplanade, Shyambazar, and Howrah Bridge, though the West Bengal government plans to reduce commercial routes to a heritage stretch, keeping it alive as a unique cultural experience #heritage #india #kolkata ♬ Funny Song – Sounds Reel

Against that backdrop, the campaign to save the city’s trams continues and is supported by friends in the Melbourne contingent, as the Kolkata Tram Users Association pursues further legal action against the closure, due to be heard in court soon.

L’article Public campaign launched to save Kolkata’s iconic tram network est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The disruption began almost immediately on 2 December when the new rules came into force, triggering cascading delays. Videos of exasperated passengers quickly flooded social media, and security forces were deployed to some airports to restore order. “INDIA’S SKY IS ON FIRE RIGHT NOW… This isn’t fog. This isn’t bad luck. This is the #IndiGoCrisis,” posted one user on X, while others joked that the airline had effectively rebranded as “#itsnotgoing.”

@danielalexander339 The IndiGo crisis #indigo #indian #india #Bengaluru #indiatiktok ♬ original sound – Daniel Alexander

The FDTL package, announced last year, extends mandatory rest periods, caps night-flying hours, limits the number of night landings, and requires quarterly fatigue reports. Over the past two years, other Indian carriers, namely Air India and the low-cost airline Akasa Air, have recruited additional pilots, strengthened rosters, and reduced some international operations in order to comply.

IndiGo did not. Pilot unions and aviation analysts have accused the airline of “negligence and lack of planning.”

On 4 December, the Federation of Indian Pilots said that, despite the two-year preparatory period before the full implementation of the FDTL, the airline had “inexplicably adopted a hiring freeze, entered non-poaching arrangements, maintained a pay freeze for pilots through cartel-like behaviour and demonstrated other short-sighted planning practices.”

Former AirAsia CFO Vijay Gopalan described IndiGo’s approach to the new rules as “very, very lackadaisical and nonchalant.”

The scale of the public outcry eventually forced the government to intervene. The authorities introduced fare caps to prevent price gouging by other airlines and mandated rapid refunds for cancelled flights. According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, a total of 955,591 bookings (PNRs) were cancelled and refunded, totalling ₹827 crore (approximately €91 million).

The DGCA also granted IndiGo a temporary exemption from fully applying the new FDTL rules until February, effectively giving the company two more months to comply, time that it had failed to use over the past 18 months. Aman Singh (@liveupdates247) called it a “get out of jail free” card on X.

@danielalexander339 IndiGo crisis #india #indian #indigo #chennai #indiatiktok ♬ original sound – Daniel Alexander

This raises the central question: will IndiGo manage in two months what it failed to do in nearly two years?

According to Singh, the current situation stems from “pure greed, pure arrogance, pure humiliation on a national scale. When you own 60% of the sky, you think rules don’t apply. Verdict: Even empires crash when they fly on ego instead of wings.” IndiGo ignored an 18-month warning, expanded flights without pilots, treated crew like machines, had no backup systems, and believed it was “too big to fail.”

The crisis coincides with India’s peak wedding season, when millions of people travel domestically or return from abroad to reunite with family. This magnifies the disruption far beyond that of an ordinary operational failure.

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers released a video message in which he apologised for the crisis and acknowledged that it would take some time to return to normal operations, which he expected to happen between 10 and 15 December. He pledged to improve communication around cancellations and refunds.

IndiGo shares have plummeted, falling from 5,921 on 26 November to 4,902 on 7 December.

L’article IndiGo meltdown triggers nationwide travel chaos across India est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

That support should include, the WTTC says, the reinstatement of funding for overseas tourism promotion, the budget for which has been slashed even though India continues to attract far fewer foreign tourists than many smaller economies. But with travel and tourism still not formally recognised as an industry and instead treated as a coalition of services, regulatory reform is required.

Over reliance on domestic market

There’s a suggestion here that India has been sitting on its laurels. After what WTTC calls “a strong period of domestic reliance” and domestic spending predicted to outstrip international visitor spending more than five times by 2035, the WTTC argues that the sector has still not yet reached its “true potential”, which, if achieved, would see its GDP contribution lifted to reach 10-11%.

Adding to the pressure, one of India’s top economists, Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, has criticised the Indian government for “simply not doing anything much” as far as tourism is concerned. His words echo those of one of India’s most powerful men, Amitabh Kant, who conceived the ‘Incredible India’ campaign during his early and mid-2000s tenure at the Ministry of Tourism.

Inspired by PM Modi’s message in Mann Ki Baat, this winter becomes an invitation to rediscover India. From snow-laden peaks to warm cultural getaways, IRCTC Tourism proudly supports this vision and welcomes travellers to experience the extraordinary beauty of winter across the… pic.twitter.com/DBn1x5ba3g

— IRCTC (@IRCTCofficial) December 1, 2025

Calls for reform

Together, the pair are just the loudest expressions of what Skift calls “a growing view among the policy establishment”, arguing that it’s time to build on the domestic market’s momentum while increasing the international visitor spend. That, they say, will entail policymakers treating the sector as a driver of national growth and channelling efforts into better-designed destinations.

Their call is supported by numerous different stakeholders, including the Hotel Association of India, the Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India, the Indian Association of Tour Operators, the India Food Tourism Organisation, the Tourist Guide Federation of India, and the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India.

Need for transport and visa streamlining

Part of the work to be done, the WTTC suggests, involves investing in “high-speed rail and smart mobility solutions” as well as recognising the “significant opportunity to foster homegrown entrepreneurship, particularly in luxury travel experiences, which are gaining strong traction among new generations of travellers and investors.”

Noting the impact of bureaucratic brakes on that traction, Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said the group strongly supports the streamlining that will come from “the government’s plans to simplify the e-visa process. While visa-on-arrival and e-visa systems are in place, reciprocal policies and long delays for key markets like the US, where appointments are reportedly unavailable until 2026, continue to hinder tourists.” Simpson added: “Making it easier to visit India is one of the fastest ways to unlock further international arrivals and spending.”

L’article India criticised for failing to capitalise on travel and tourism  est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The ram air turbine (RAT) is a small, propeller-powered turbine that is designed to deploy from the underside of an aircraft’s fuselage; its purpose is to provide an emergency power supply to the plane in the event of a serious electrical issue. Typically, a RAT deployment signals a major engine problem. In this case, however, the engines of Flight AI117, en route from Amritsar in the northern Indian state of Punjab to Birmingham, UK, were running normally on 4 October 2025.

The pilots of the 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 were alerted when the RAT deployed during the approach to runway 33 during approach to Birmingham Airport. The aircraft landed without issues, but the return journey was cancelled as a safety measure. It was, however, cleared to resume service the following day on the Birmingham-Delhi route.

On October 4, 2025, an #AirIndia Boeing 787-8 (VT-ANO) operating flight #AI117 from #Amritsar to #Birmingham experienced an unexpected deployment of its Ram Air Turbine (RAT) at 500 feet during the final approach to Birmingham Airport.

© @jagritichandra#India #UK #B787 pic.twitter.com/xZQ0xfSfKv

— FlightMode (@FlightModeblog) October 7, 2025

In a statement, Tata Group-owned Air India indicated that an initial assessment conducted after the incident found that “all electrical and hydraulic parameters were normal.” The airline also noted that the flight landed safely.

The Federation of Indian Pilots, which represents more than 6,000 pilots, condemned the incident as “unprecedented” and said that it could have been a signal of an electrical malfunction.

“I have never heard of the RAT being deployed automatically without any hydraulic loss, power loss, or failures,” Charanvir Singh Randhawa, president of the Federation of Indian Pilots, told the New York Times.

VIDEO | When asked about the RAT deployment in UK-bound Air India Dreamliner, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu (@RamMNK) says, "First of all, whenever such incidents happen, we try to find out the root cause, once we get to understand the root cause, then we are going to… pic.twitter.com/9A2Zqk9ubt

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 7, 2025

Air India reported that it has provided a report to the industry regulator, following all protocols. The airline also added that “the safety of all passengers and crew remains our foremost priority.”

The call for grounding and inspection comes after recent incidents involving a Boeing 787 in recent months. In June 2025, the deadly crash of Air India Flight 171, resulting in 260 fatalities, also occurred after the RAT was deployed following a total loss of power.

Although the preliminary report on the June incident confirmed that the turbine deployed because the plane lost power, investigators have not yet determined the reason for that power loss. However, the report did state that just prior to impact, the Dreamliner’s fuel-control switches were deliberately moved to the “cutoff” position, halting the fuel supply to both engines.

L’article Pilots call for inspection of all Boeing 787 Dreamliners in India after mid-air emergency est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

According to the Bureau of Immigration, the new system is designed to “streamline immigration clearance and enhance passenger convenience”. It replaces the traditional disembarkation cards that used to be handed out on planes prior to landing. It will also reduce paperwork and waiting time at passport control.

On Facebook, Delhi International Airport Limited, which is overseeing the project, described the new e-Arrival Card as “a seamless, paperless arrival experience for foreign travellers at Delhi Airport”. It is a digital-first initiative by the Bureau of Immigration to make your journey smoother. The post adds that the new system will help passengers “breeze through immigration!”.

Introducing the e-Arrival Card — a seamless, paperless arrival experience for foreign travelers at Delhi Airport.
A digital-first initiative by the Bureau of Immigration to make your journey smoother.

Arriving in India? Just submit the form and breeze through immigration! pic.twitter.com/7pfanlxs6z

— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) October 1, 2025

The e-Arrival Card collects the standard information that was previously required on paper forms, such as full name, nationality, passport number, reason for visit, address in India, contact details, length of stay, and countries visited in the last six days. Travellers arriving for tourism, business, study, conferences or medical purposes must complete the form. No documents need to be uploaded.

International travellers are advised to complete the online questionnaire no earlier than 72 hours and no later than 24 hours before departure. Once submitted, travellers will receive a confirmation email to present to immigration officers upon arrival. While a digital copy of the e-Arrival Card is accepted, the authorities recommend carrying a printed version as a backup.

The e-Arrival Card can be submitted through several official channels, including the Bureau of Immigration portal, the India Visa website and Delhi Airport’s official website, or on a dedicated app, the Su-Swagatam mobile app. The process is free of charge.

The new system only applies to foreign nationals. Indian passport holders and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) are exempt, as they already benefit from the Fast Track Immigration-Trusted Traveller Programme, which was launched at Delhi Airport in June 2024. This programme will continue to operate separately from the system in place for foreign visitors.

#Notice
Mandatory E-Arrival Card Submission for International Travelers entering India
From 1 October 2025, all international travelers entering India are required to complete Electronic Arrival Card prior to entry.
Please apply at https://t.co/Owbuq9ATfP or use Su-Swagatam… pic.twitter.com/8G4TZ4jPxS

— India in Melbourne (@cgimelbourne) October 5, 2025

Failure to complete the e-Arrival Card or errors in the form will not prevent entry, but may result in longer processing times and referral to manual counters.

It is important to note that travellers must still obtain a valid visa or e-visa, which is an online application process usually taking three to five business days. This is available for tourism, business and medical visits, and the new e-Arrival Card serves only as an additional immigration requirement, not a substitute.

Similar digital arrival systems are already in place in Singapore, Thailand and Australia. Through this initiative, India aims to create a smoother, paperless process and reduce queues at major airports such as Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

L’article India smoothes entry for international visitors with new e-Arrival form est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

When it opened in 1931, the Central Secretariat on Raisina Hill above Delhi – designed by architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker – was meant to reflect the best of both the British and the Indian architecture. While the South Block housed the prime minister’s office and the defence and foreign ministries, the North Block was home to the home and finance ministries. Together, they were a symbol of British colonialism, a way of showing that the so-called Raj-era would never end.

However, only 17 years after the completion of the Central Secretariat, India gained its independence. The building became the seat of government of a sovereign state, yet otherwise, little changed. Despite the size of the Central Secretariat – said to house no less than 4,000 rooms – extra rooms had to be created over the years in order to make room for a growing, modernising government.

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“New rooms used to be carved out of the wide corridors. You’d suddenly find a bathroom being made under a staircase. It was a constant struggle to create space. The façade had an incredible grandeur, of course, but it wasn’t so special inside North Block. People overhype the aura. Staff will be much better off in functioning offices than in some nostalgic haze”, Neelam Deo, a former government employee, told The Times.

A few years ago, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided it was time to separate the nation’s colonial history from its current politics. Therefore, he started Delhi’s Central Vista Redevelopment Project, costing some $3 billion. A new parliament already opened its doors in 2023, and the different ministries are moving to the new, glass-and-steel buildings of the Kartavya Bhavan at the time of writing.

World’s biggest museum

With the Central Secretariat being cleared little by little, the question of its future use remains. In 2023, Modi first put forward the idea to transform the building into a museum, and those plans now seem to be confirmed. Part of the colonial remnant will become the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum, which means as much as “everlasting India” in Sanskrit.

The new museum is set to be spread out over 950 rooms, which should house some 25,000 to 30,000 artefacts, showcasing 5,000 years of Indian cultural heritage. It will replace the existing and nearby National Museum in Delhi. While no timeframe has been given for the project, with the ministries already moving into their new offices, work on what could become the world’s biggest museum could start soon.

L’article India plans to open the world’s biggest museum est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

A parliamentary panel undertook a review of the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in the wake of the June 2025 crash of Air India Flight 171 that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad. That examination has found “a profound and persistent shortage of technical and regulatory personnel,” at the regulator, where the recruitment gap is as high as 50%.

Ironically, with India’s aviation sector undergoing fast growth and as carriers acquire newer, more modern aircraft, the country’s airport infrastructure is struggling to keep up. “This deficit is not a mere administrative statistic,” the report signalled, explaining: “It is a critical vulnerability that exists at the very heart of India’s safety oversight system, occurring precisely at a time when the sector’s unprecedented growth demands more, not less, regulatory vigilance and capacity.”

India’s aviation regulator #DGCA finally follows Etihad, South Korea, Singapore in mandating checks on fuel control switches of Boeing planes in India after air India crash report outed a 2018 FAA advisory that the locking mechanism may be flawed. Good. – pls note that the… pic.twitter.com/TI4g6wq3wM

— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) July 14, 2025

Part of the staffing issue, the report found, stems from a “slow and inflexible” recruitment process that is outsourced to an agency, and a lack of enforcement over working time limits from the Airports Authority of India (AAI). With the lack of staff putting existing workers, some of whom are under-trained, under pressure, burnout is high and retention low, and the risk of controller error is increased, the MPs note, going as far as to say the shortage is an “active and ongoing threat to the safety of the flying public.”

Speaking to the BBC in July, the chief of the DGCA defended India’s aviation safety record. “If you look at global safety metrics, such as those published by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which track the number of accidents per million flights, India consistently performs better than the world average,” he said.

But the post-Ahmedabad review insists that “the current mismatch between recruitment and training capacity, coupled with operational overload, poses a direct and ongoing threat to airspace safety”, even attributing India’s high incidence of runway incursions and bird hits to the issue.

Despite accusing the regulator of not being “in a position to discharge its duties for which it was established”, among the report’s solutions it suggests granting full financial and administrative autonomy to the aviation safety regulator, as well as a full staffing audit, and the creation of a national Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) for air traffic controllers. In addition, the report recommends mandatory pilot training for specific terrains and that all state-operated services be brought together under a unified national regulatory framework.

The Indian civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu assured parliamentarians in July that 190 of the over 500 empty roles at the DGCA would be filled by October – a promise that, if met, would leave 62% of the required positions still unfilled.

L’article India’s flight safety systems and passengers face “active threat”, review finds est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.