No. We are still well short of minimum number of Flight Operations Inspectors required as advised by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and FAA. The safety audits are not conducted to the minimum standards and all reports of safety being high is a mere charade.
Safety standards have never been high. It is because of false statistics and reports, we appear safe on paper. When you lack the minimum number of inspectors and there is an increase in fleet size, proper monitoring is not possible. The increase in number of violations is definitely alarming.
Both carriers and regulators. In a safe airline environment, a copilot should be capable of bringing the aircraft down safely in the event of an incapacitation of the captain. Here, a 200-hour Cessna pilot is given minimum training on a high performance airline jet and pushed through the ranks just to fill the right seat. Even the Pilot Proficiency / Instrument Rating checks are conducted without completing the mandatory exercises. The DGCA turns a blind eye to these short cuts.
We need an independent regulator who is a professional. We need transparency in safety standards and accident/incident investigations. Training standards have to be raised considerably to improve safety.
Carriers give lip service to safety. Training is an area where cost cutting is high. Crew scheduling, where they flog crew with minimum rest and ignoring fatigue, is another strategy carriers have adopted to cut costs.
As long as the Ministry of Civil Aviation controls everything you can’t expect safely to improve. Corruption and clueless heads are the reasons.
Aerodromes and accident investigations will again get flagged. Our standards are pathetic.