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New Delhi: After being approved by the Lok Sabha earlier in August, Union Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu presented the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024 to the Rajya Sabha on December 3, 2024.
Naidu pointed out that the aviation industry has the ability to boost the economy and should be expanded, the country’s number of airports has expanded from 74 in 2014 to 157, and the fleet size has doubled from 400 (plane) in 2014 to 813.
“We want to cater to the dreams of millions who wish to have an airport in their district,” said Union Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, emphasizing the industry’s rapid expansion.
Naidu mentioned that the Bill is a reaction to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) recommendations to modify the extinct Aircraft Act. “We have organised everything in the bill with distinct sections for bodies like the DGCA, ensuring clear demarcation of responsibilities,” he stated, underlining the need of proposed alterations.
Prominent elements in the bill:
Design and manufacturing incorporation: The law introduces new definitions and procedures for aircraft design and construction.
Appeals Mechanism: It creates an appeals mechanism to provide better accountability, particularly for bodies such as the DGCA.
The legal structure for Rules: The bill provides strong legal support for aviation rules, addressing legal inconsistencies between multiple aviation laws and enabling unified governance.
International conformance: By aligning India’s aviation practices with international treaties, the Act promotes foreign direct investment and increases conformity with international norms.
“In the earlier Act, only the word maintenance was mentioned. There was no definition, now we are adding design and manufacturing too. We are also defining all these three terms. We have brought the appeal system,” he stated.
“This bill is about creating a unified regulatory environment that is in line with international best practices, not just about growing the aviation sector,” added Naidu.
If passed, Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak is expected to bring India’s aviation laws up to date and replace the 1934 framework with new rules and it would be interesting to see how the implementation resolves current issues and influences India’s aviation industry going forward.
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