The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on June 19, 2024, notified regarding Gender Equality in the Aviation Sector.
This circular is issued as an advisory to all stakeholders to increase the number of women in various positions by either 25% against currently reported metrics or to a desirable representation of 25% by 2025.
The provisions contained in this Circular shall apply to all Indian operators engaged in scheduled and non-scheduled air transport services (both domestic and international) for the carriage of passengers and all airport operators within Indian Territory.
The stakeholders shall formulate policies and follow practices that:
• Adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment at the workplace congruent with the extant regulations.
• Monitor the company's gender ratio to identify gaps in diversity by setting up a system to evaluate and track progress in gender diversity.
• Identify specific diversity objectives to guide hiring procedures.
• Ensure equal representation during the recruitment of new professionals.
• Promote representation of women while constituting various Committees or Task Groups.
• Implement strategies to minimize bias and periodically review the existing HR policy to remove any gender biases and to promote a positively suited work environment & culture towards women. Stakeholders may devise appropriate technological interventions to blank gender-related information from resume(s) while shortlisting candidates for interview.
• Provide allowances and maternity leave as per prevailing rules.
• Make arrangements for hassle-free, safe and secure travel for women employees, who are required to travel to outstation/remote locations for various official assignments.
• Develop policies to provide opportunities to the cabin crew of their organization, who are majority in number, to engage in other technical/operational areas. Special cross-functional sponsored programs may be devised for them in this regard.
• Publish the vacant positions in their organization on various forums explicitly encouraging applications from female candidates and drafting positions with precise information on flexible working conditions existing in their organization.
[File No.-B-11015/3/2024-DRONE-Dte]
