After Ajit Pawar's Plane Crash, DGCA & States Set To Jointly Oversee 400 'Uncontrolled' Airstrips

The Civil Aviation Ministry has launched a nationwide review of about 400 uncontrolled airstrips, aiming to create a uniform set of operating standards and a shared oversight system involving both the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and state governments, according to officials.

The exercise will assess shortcomings in basic infrastructure, availability of communication systems, firefighting preparedness, and the level of coordination with district and local agencies. Most of these airstrips are owned by state governments and fall outside the DGCA’s regular surveillance framework, resulting in limited regulatory supervision, Hindustan Times reported.

The move to inspect these facilities and draft uniform guidelines comes in the wake

of the January 28 aircraft crash in Baramati, which claimed the lives of Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others, bringing renewed attention to safety risks at non-ATC airfields.

DGCA teams have begun reviewing safety practices at Category A airports—uncontrolled facilities with no air traffic control services—managed by states, private operators or flight training organisations. India has at least 400 such airstrips, many of which are used by charter operators, political flights and flying schools but lack standardised procedures for runway upkeep, rescue services and aircraft movement coordination.

HT cited a senior official as saying that existing guidelines for these airstrips do not come under DGCA jurisdiction, and a new system is being developed with states to ensure visibility of their operational status and safety standards. Another official confirmed that inspection teams include officers from the flight safety, airworthiness and operations directorates.

Categories Of Airports In India

According to DGCA officials, Indian airports are grouped into four categories. Category A airports operate without air traffic control (ATC) services. Category B airports have limited control, offering partial ATC or AFIS facilities, such as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Jalgaon. Category C airports function under procedural ATC, where aircraft separation is maintained without radar, as seen at Pune. Category D airports are fully controlled, radar-equipped hubs, including Mumbai and Delhi.

Among the prominent uncontrolled but operational airstrips are Baramati, Karad and Chandrapur in Maharashtra; Ujjain and Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh; Bhagalpur and Begusarai in Bihar; Alwar in Rajasthan; Sultanpur and Saifai in Uttar Pradesh; and Hassan in Karnataka.

Aviation analysts say basic safety infrastructure is inexpensive. Mark Martin, founder of aviation advisory firm Martin Consultancy, said even remote or unpaved strips should have essentials such as windsocks, basic weather monitoring, CCTV coverage and regular inspections, the report mentioned. He added that monthly safety checks by state authorities and daily online publication of weather data would significantly improve oversight at non-ATC airfields, where pilots currently depend on self-coordination rather than controller guidance. He added that these measures would cost no more than Rs 2 lakh per strip.