India, July 20 -- India's aviation safety regulator is operating with only 50% of its technical strength, with just 553 officials overseeing operations in one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets, according to an internal document reviewed by HT.

The regulator's sweeping remit includes airline operations oversight to airport certification, with the technical posts crucial from safety perspective - these teams are tasked to carry out airworthiness assessments and operational surveillance.

According to documents seen by HT, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has48%of its 1,063 technical posts vacant, hampering its ability to enforce regulations and conduct safety audits effectively in the world's third-largest avi...