Ministry plans Aircraft Act overhaul

The archaic Aircraft Act of 1934 is moving closer to an overhaul. The Union Cabinet is likely to take up a proposal by the Civil Aviation Ministry to withdraw an amendment Bill, which was cleared by the Cabinet last year, and introduce a fresh legislation after taking into account the concerns raised by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport. The amendments cleared by the Cabinet last year were essentially aimed at legally empowering the DGCA and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security to issue directives related to safety and security.

For instance, though slaughter houses are not allowed within 10-km radius of an airport, the DGCA has no powers to remove encroachers. The amendment Bill sought to empower the DGCA on such matters. Similarly, the authorities will be empowered to qualitatively control foreign aircraft and prevent them from taking off in the event of a technical problem. Such a provision is not there in the 1934 Act. Power to levy penalties on erring pilots or engineers and other staff was also part of the proposed amendments. The panel had raised a red flag over the provisions overlapping with areas covered by the AAI Act, 1994.