Government introduces bill to amend Aircraft Act, 1934

The amendment bill seeks to increase the maximum quantum of fines from the current Rs 10 lakh to up to Rs 1 crore

The government on Tuesday introduced a bill in Lok Sabha to amend the Aircraft Act, 1934 to give proper recognition to the regulators under the Act, enhance the maximum quantum of fines to Rs 1 crore and to empower the departmental officers to impose financial penalties on the individuals or the organisations involved in violations of the legal provisions.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill 2020 in the Lower House on behalf of Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri. The amendment has been brought by the government following safety and security audit by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

“The audit conducted by the ICAO in the years 2012 and 2015 have indicated a need to amend the Act to give proper recognition to the regulators under the Act, to enhance the maximum quantum of fines and to empower the departmental officers to impose financial penalties on individuals or organisations involved in violations of the legal provisions and to include certain areas of air navigation services for rulemaking purpose under section 5 of the Act,” the Bill's statement of objects and reasons read.

It also stipulates for exempting aircraft belonging to any armed forces of the Union other than naval, military or air force, from the Aircraft Act, following repeated requests from the Border Security Force (BSF) for exemption under rule 160 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937.

Once the amendments are passed, the government will have the power to issue directions to review, if necessary in public interest, any order passed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB), according to the Bill.