Civil aviation ministry ready to ring in changes in leadership

The Civil Aviation Ministry is set for a new leadership from January 1 with former Special Secretary in the Power Ministry, Ashok Lavasa, taking over as the Civil Aviation Secretary and Joint Secretary Prabhat Kumar assuming additional charge as the DGCA chief.

The government has also granted an extension to VP Agrawal, Chairman of Airports Authority of India, to continue in office till June 2015, when he turns 60. Agrawal is overseeing the process of modernisation of airports across the country.

Lavasa, a 1980-batch IAS officer belonging to the Haryana cadre, will join his new posting tomorrow. He succeeds KN Srivastava, who has been superannuated.

A double-MA and an MBA, Lavasa had earlier served in various capacities

in the Power Ministry and the Home Ministry, besides being the Resident Commissioner for Haryana in Delhi.

Kumar, a 1985-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer and a Joint Secretary in the Ministry, would hold additional charge as the DG of Civil Aviation following the appointment of Arun Mishra as the Regional Director for the Asia-Pacific region of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

The decision to give additional charge to Kumar comes at a time when India faces the threat of a downgrade by the US aviation safety regulator, Federal Aviation Administration, which has raised concerns over the shortage of staff in senior DGCA positions as revealed in audits carried out in September and December of 2013.

Mishra, a 1986-batch IAS officer, is expected to join the ICAO regional office at Bangkok in late January. He replaces Pakistani diplomat Mokhtar Awan.