New Delhi, April 1 -- The government on Tuesday appointed Vir Vikram Yadav as director general of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), replacing Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, as part of a wider bureaucratic reshuffle.

Yadav takes charge of India's aviation regulator at one of its most pressured moments. The sector endured a punishing 2025 - marked by one of the deadliest air crashes in India's history, repeated operational failures by airlines that put regulatory oversight in question, and mounting fuel costs - and 2026 has offered little relief.

"The regulator is already dealing with multiple ongoing issues, and with traffic growth, aircraft shortages and global uncertainties, 2026 will be a challenging year," a former DGCA official ...