<h1>Indian aviation bodies struggle with 4,291 vacant positions despite recruitment efforts and organizational restructuring initiatives</h1> Three major Indian aviation organizations face significant staffing shortages with 4,291 vacant positions across the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, and Airports Authority of India. The aviation regulator has nearly 50% vacancy rate with 823 unfilled positions out of 1,644 sanctioned posts. Despite these shortfalls, government officials maintain that organizational functioning remains unimpacted. Recent efforts include creating 441 new technical positions at the aviation regulator between 2022-2024, establishing 84 operational posts during security bureau restructuring, and adding 840 Air Traffic Controller positions at the airports authority. In 2025, limited recruitment occurred with 14 positions filled at the regulator, 864 at the airports authority, and 5 at the security bureau through deputation. The government attributes vacancies to inadequate advertisement responses, non-joining candidates, and insufficient feeder cadre personnel, while pursuing various recruitment methods including short-term contractual hiring.