India, Oct. 2 -- India's aviation regulator should be converted into an independent authority, created by a new law and with its own money and its own hiring, according to a proposal submitted to the government. The regulator has nearly half its posts vacant, a parliamentary panel has faulted it for "systemic" safety failures, and critics have accused it of bending its own rules last year during the IndiGo operational meltdown.

The report, submitted to the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) and seen by HT, recommends replacing the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) with a statutory Civil Aviation Authority of India (CAAI).

The new body would have a governing board, a dedicated aviation safety fund and control over recruitment, ...