Cabinet Approves Aircraft (Amendment) Bill - 2019

The Union Cabinet has given its approval (in December 2019) to introduce the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in Parliament which will amend the Aircraft Act, 1934. The amendments would enable India to achieve the requirements and the standards as per the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Some of the salient features of the bill includes -

• It proposes to enhance the maximum limit of fine from the existing Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore.
• It also enlarges the scope of the existing Act to include regulation of all areas of air navigation.
• It will also enable the three regulatory bodies in the sector, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau to become more effective, which will lead to enhancement in the level of safety and security of aircraft operations in the country.