Govt introduces bill to replace 90-year-old Aircraft Act; aims to improve ease of doing biz

New Delhi: To further improve the ease of doing business in the aviation space, the government on Wednesday introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to replace the 90-year-old Aircraft Act. The Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill 2024 seeks to remove redundancies and replace the Aircraft Act, 1934 -- that has been amended 21 times -- at a time when India is one of the fastest growing civil aviation markets in the world.

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The bill, introduced by Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, includes provisions to regulate the design and manufacturing of aircraft, supporting the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative for self-reliance.

One of the key elements is that once the Act is implemented, then the issuance of Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificate and Licence will be issued by the aviation regulator DGCA which is under the civil aviation ministry, according to an official.

Currently, these certificates, a requirement for completion of pilot training, are issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) after conducting a test.

The Aircraft Act of 1934 was amended 21 times over the past 90 years and there was a need 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, Naidu said in the Lower House while introducing the bill.

Among others, the bill seeks to give the central government more powers to prohibit or regulate certain construction activities, issue directives, detain aircraft, and enact emergency orders when necessary.

The overall efforts are to further improve the ease of doing business in the aviation sector, the official said. In a post on X, Naidu said the bill seeks to remove redundancy, address all concerns and aligns with the governing principles of civil aviation across the globe.

Amid protests from a section of the opposition over the Hindi nomenclature of the draft legislation, Naidu said the objection to the nomenclature of the bill was settled during the discussion on the three criminal justice laws -- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam.

"We are not violating any part of the Constitution," he said.

In the House, RSP member N K Premachandran opposed the introduction of the bill and said, "what is the logical reason for changing the nomenclature of the bill? People from south India will be unable to even read the name of the bill".

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