Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu introduced the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak in the Lok Sabha to overhaul India’s civil aviation regulations by replacing Aircraft Act, 1934.

Why govt plans new legislation?

• The Aircraft Act, 1934 was enacted to make better provision for the control of the manufacture, possession, use, operation, sale, import and export of aircraft.

• The regulation of civil air transport within the territory and the airspace above India, including regulation of international air services of national and foreign air carriers is the sovereign function of the government of India and the same is given effect to under this Act, having regard to the international regulations, bilateral and multilateral agreements and arrangements to which India is a contracting party or which has been acceded to or ratified by India.

• The Aircraft Act, 1934 has been amended several times to enhance safety, oversight and to meet requirements for sustainable growth of aviation sector and to give effect to the provisions of international conventions. 

• As a result of numerous amendments over a period of 90 years, a need is felt to address the ambiguities and confusion experienced by the stakeholders, to remove redundancies, to enable ease of doing business and to provide for manufacture and maintenance in the aviation sector and to re-enact the Act in the form of a Bill, namely, the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024.

Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill seeks to:

i) Empower the central government to make rules regulating the design, manufacture, maintenance, possession, use, operation, sale, export or import of any aircraft or class of aircraft and for securing the safety of aircraft operations.

ii) Empower the central government to regulate issuance of Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificate and licence to provide for ease of business.

iii) Empower the central government to make rules to implement the Convention relating to international civil aviation and the other matters relating to civil aviation security.

iv) Empower the central government to issue orders in emergency in the interest of public safety or tranquility.

v) Provide for payment of compensation for loss or damage in such manner as provided under the Act.

vi) Provide for appeal against the matters relating to compensation, licence, certificate or approval and adjudication of penalties.

vii) Provide for imprisonment, fine or penalties for contravention of the provisions of the Act or the rules made thereunder.

viii) Remove ambiguities and redundancies.

ix) Provide for power of the central government to prohibit or regulate construction of buildings, planting of trees, etc, for the safety of aircraft  operations.

x) Other regulatory provisions for effective implementation of the proposed legislation.

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