In a significant administrative move, India's aviation safety regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has relieved senior official Ravinder Jamwal of his additional responsibilities. Jamwal, who was serving as the Director of Operations, has been divested of the additional charge of the crucial Flight Standards Directorate (FSD).
Details of the DGCA Order and Transfer
The decision was formalized through an official DGCA order dated December 23, 2025. According to the order, Ravinder Singh Jamwal, Director of Operations, was holding the additional charge of the Flight Standards Directorate along with his existing responsibilities for Airspace and Air Navigation Services (ANS) Standards. The directive states that he has now been posted exclusively to the Airspace and ANS section at the DGCA headquarters until further orders.
The immediate reason for this abrupt transfer and the removal of his FSD charge was not officially disclosed. Attempts to get a comment from the DGCA on the matter did not receive a response. Ashish Dubey has been appointed to replace Jamwal in the FSD role, as per the orders.
Timing Coincides with IndiGo Disruption Probe
The transfer comes at a critical juncture, just days before a high-level panel submitted its investigative report on the massive flight disruptions experienced by IndiGo earlier in December. A four-member inquiry committee, headed by DGCA Joint Director General Sanjay K Bramhane, was constituted on December 5 to conduct a comprehensive review of the circumstances leading to the large-scale operational chaos.
This committee submitted its final report to the aviation regulator on December 26, 2025. While the specific findings and details of the report remain undisclosed, the timing of Jamwal's reassignment has drawn attention. At the DGCA, Jamwal was reportedly in charge of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms and schemes for airlines, a key area concerning pilot fatigue and operational safety.
Jamwal's Role and Broader Context
During the recent IndiGo crisis, when the DGCA deployed senior officials for on-site inspections at 11 domestic airports to assess various aspects of the airline's operations, these officials were directed to submit their comprehensive reports directly to Ravinder Jamwal. This underscores the central role he played in oversight functions related to airline operations and safety standards.
The DGCA's order effectively streamlines Jamwal's portfolio, moving him away from the broad operational and flight standards oversight to a more focused role on Airspace and Air Navigation Services. The regulator has not linked the transfer directly to the IndiGo probe, leaving the aviation industry to speculate on the underlying reasons for this sudden administrative reshuffle just as a major investigation reached its conclusion.
