Aircraft Act to be amended for stronger DGCA

The proposed amendments to the Aircraft Act, 1934 seeking to grant greater regulatory authority to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) were approved by the union cabinet today. The Bill for the amendment would now be finalized in consultation with the legislative department before being moved in the Parliament.

The key proposal made by the Civil Aviation ministry in its cabinet note was for licensing air traffic controllers on the lines of pilots in order to maintain professional standards and competence levels. The ministry also wanted the DGCA to have greater supervisory control over Communication, Navigation & Surveillance, and Air Traffic Management systems so as to enable it to inspect, certify and regulate these services.

The proposed amendment further seeks to:

• Bring the regulation of foreign registered aircraft under the Act for effective regulation.

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• Include the term ‘‘incident’’ alongwith ‘‘accident’’ since international civil aviation guidelines make a clear distinction between the two.

• Give more teeth to the DGCA to deal with security situations like hijacks.

• Empower DGCA to regulate air transport services, prohibit flight over specified zones and prohibit animal slaughter within a 10 km radius of an airport.

• Enhance the maximum penalty to Rs 10 lakh and two years of imprisonment for violations of prohibitions listed in the Act (except for section 10 (1A) ).