New Delhi, India: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has notified the Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026, replacing the Aircraft Rules, 1937, with the new framework set to come into force on January 1, 2027. The notification was dated October 26, 2026, and was published in the Gazette of India on October 31, 2026. The rules have been framed under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024.
The 220-rule framework covers aircraft registration, design and manufacturing, airworthiness, maintenance, personnel licensing, air traffic services, aerodrome licensing, airline operations, safety management and air transport services. It also replaces Part IX of the Aircraft Rules, 1920 and the Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificate and Licence Rules, 2025, while preserving actions and approvals taken under the repealed rules where they are not inconsistent with the Act.
One of the most significant changes is fare transparency. Under Rule 192, scheduled Indian air transport undertakings and foreign airlines operating scheduled services to, from or across India must establish tariffs based on factors including operating costs, submit them to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in the prescribed manner and publish them on their websites or other digital platforms. Booking websites and tickets must show the total amount payable and a separate breakdown of the fare, taxes, fees, cancellation charges, refund conditions and other charges. The DGCA will monitor tariffs.
The tariff provisions come amid earlier judicial scrutiny of airline pricing practices. In July 2026, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to submit the draft aviation rules during proceedings on a PIL concerning unpredictable airfare fluctuations, additional passenger charges and baggage policies.
The rules also give the Central Government power to intervene in an extraordinary situation. It may issue written directions in the public interest where it considers intervention necessary, although such directions must be proportionate to the circumstances and remain in force only for the specified period. The rules do not define a numerical threshold for what constitutes an extraordinary situation.
On aircraft registration, the rules establish Category A and Category B registration categories based on ownership and control. They also introduce a specific timeline for certain IDERA-based deregistrations: where the Cape Town Convention and Protocol apply and the prescribed documents are submitted by an IDERA holder, the Central Government is required to cancel the certificate of registration within five working days, without seeking consent or additional documents from the operator or another person.
The framework strengthens airworthiness oversight through provisions covering type certificates, restricted type certificates, supplemental type certificates, design acceptance, airworthiness directives, special conditions, Indian Technical Standard Orders, aircraft registration, airworthiness certificates, modifications and repairs, maintenance, defects, inspection and technical records. Approved organisations involved in aircraft design, manufacturing and aircraft maintenance must also establish safety management systems as specified by the DGCA.
For aviation personnel, the rules consolidate licensing requirements for pilots, flight engineers, flight navigators, aircraft maintenance engineers, air traffic controllers and radio-telephone operators. Pilot licences include student, private, commercial and airline transport categories, while the framework also provides for ratings, medical fitness, competency, examinations, licence validation and renewal. A professional pilot aged 65 or above cannot act as pilot-in-command or co-pilot in commercial air transport operations; pilots aged 60 and above are subject to additional multi-crew requirements, with an exception for certain single-pilot aircraft up to 5,700 kg operating domestically.
The new licensing framework comes amid wider regulatory efforts to strengthen India’s pilot training ecosystem. In April 2026, the DGCA’s second phase of FTO rankings placed Avyanna Aviation in Category A for the first time, while 11 institutes improved their ratings and seven declined.
The rules also prescribe cabin-crew requirements, including minimum staffing based on passenger capacity, training and medical requirements, proficiency checks and senior cabin-crew responsibilities. Cabin crew members cannot operate on more than three aircraft types where the types differ in emergency-exit operation, safety-equipment location/type or emergency procedures.
Fatigue management is formally addressed through Rule 170. The DGCA may specify maximum flight-time, flight-duty and duty-period limits and minimum rest periods for flight and cabin crew. Indian operators must establish approved flight- and duty-time limitation schemes and minimum-rest arrangements, with provision for an approved fatigue-risk management system.
The rules establish requirements for scheduled and non-scheduled air transport, aerial work, private aircraft, aircraft management service providers and foreign airline operations. Scheduled services to, from, in or across India require Central Government permission under the Fourth Schedule, while non-scheduled Indian operators require an air operator permit from the DGCA. Foreign airlines operating scheduled services are subject to operating authorisation and applicable bilateral or other government arrangements.
The framework also requires specified aviation organisations to maintain Safety Management Systems, while the DGCA must establish both mandatory and voluntary safety-reporting systems. The voluntary system is to be non-punitive, with safeguards for safety data and confidentiality of the identity of reporters.
Other provisions cover aerodrome licensing and operations, air navigation services, communication, navigation and surveillance facilities, meteorological information, search and rescue, prohibited flights, operational documents, alcohol and psychoactive substances, smoking, portable electronic devices, flight-data analysis, aviation security fees and regional air connectivity measures. The rules also provide for aircraft management arrangements, including transfer of operational control to authorised aircraft management service providers.
The rules contain six schedules covering aircraft personnel, air traffic services personnel, aeronautical telecommunications, grant of air operator certificates for scheduled services, offences and compounding, and penalties. Specified offences can attract imprisonment of up to two years, a fine of up to ₹1 crore, or both, while contraventions covered by the Sixth Schedule are subject to prescribed penalty levels..
The Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026 will come into force on January 1, 2027, marking the transition from the Aircraft Rules, 1937 to the new regulatory framework under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024.
