Closing the stable door...

The world's third largest aviation market deserves much better than a toothless regulator

- 

The Aviation Regulator's flurry of activity in the wake of the Air India plane crash is a textbook example of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. As expected, Air India has faced intense scrutiny after the June 12 accident that killed 271 people.

Last week, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) warned that it may suspend or even withdraw the airline's operating licence if it did not remove three officials guilty of repeated lapses from roles linked to crew rescheduling and rostering. It also introduced a new audit framework for the sector that aims to replace the siloed style of domain-specific safety checks carried out by different directorates with a "360-degree evaluation" across airports, airlines, maintenance firms, training institutes, and ground handling companies.