To plug safety gaps, DGCA orders tamper-proof ATC log books

With the civil aviation sector battling staff shortages, rising traffic and mounting operational stress, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has stepped in to tighten control over one of the most critical aspects of aviation safety -- record keeping inside air traffic control (ATC) towers.

In a first such measure, the regulator has ordered that every ATC unit must maintain tamper-proof, standardised log books under strict supervision, ensuring that each instruction, communication or incident is accurately recorded and traceable.

The move, officials say, is aimed at restoring accountability and discipline in an overstretched system where even minor procedural lapses can have serious consequences.

A DGCA circular issued recently mandates that ATS unit log books are maintained in a correct and uniform format. “The log books form an essential part of evidence required during a safety investigation,” states the circular, which comes nearly four months after the Air India crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight that claimed 260 lives.

The circular mandates that every entry be made only in blue or black ink, in chronological order, without overwriting or erasures. Any correction, if necessary, can only be made by striking off the earlier entry by drawing a single line over it, a vital procedural safeguard against manipulation.

Each ATC position must maintain a separate log capturing operational details such as incidents, runway changes and equipment status. All log books must be properly bound, serially numbered and certified by a supervisory officer. The ATS-in-charge will maintain a master list of all issued log books to ensure traceability, the circular reads.

The regulator has also tightened the handover-takeover protocol. “The relieving controller shall first ‘take over watch’ in the logbook and sign to that effect, followed by the ‘handing over watch’ by the relieved controller,” the circular states. Supervisory officers can now be held accountable for any discrepancy, with no officer allowed to oversee more than 10 log books at a time.

Officials said the move was long overdue, especially given several instances where incomplete or inconsistent log entries complicated safety reviews. “In ATC operations, a missing line in a log can mean losing vital evidence in a safety probe,” said a senior DGCA official. Access to ATC records has also been restricted strictly to authorised controllers and DGCA inspectors.

India’s air traffic has been growing at nearly 8-10 per cent annually, but the number of air traffic controllers (ATCOs) has not kept up. As of June 2025, the sanctioned strength of ATCOs stood at 5,537, yet 1,243 posts remained vacant, including 391 in the northern region and 326 in the southern.

The Air Traffic Controllers’ Guild (India) had told a Parliamentary Committee earlier this year that the shortage was “persistent and serious,” leading to the merging or night-time shutdown of key operational units. “This practice places an undue workload and immense mental strain on the limited number of ATCOs available to manage the traffic,” the committee’s August report noted.

“This chronic fatigue directly and significantly increases the probability of controller error… The ATCO shortage is, therefore, not just a staffing or administrative issue; it is an active and ongoing threat to the safety of the flying public,” the report added.

As per sources, despite DGCA guidelines capping ATCO duty hours at 12, controllers continue to work extended shifts and face disrupted rest schedules. "Recruitment and training, which take up to four years per controller, have struggled to match the pace of rising air traffic," the sources added.

Globally, the shortage is not unique to India. The United States has also been hit, with nearly half of ATC trainees dropping out before qualification. Even after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hired 2,000 controllers last year, experts warned that full staffing could take up to nine years.