Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill That Replaces 90-Year-Old Aircraft Act Gets President's Nod

The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill, 2024, which was passed in the Rajya Sabha via a voice vote on Dec. 5, has been turned into a law with President Droupadi Murmu issuing her assent.

In a notification dated Dec. 11, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice confirmed that the President has given her approval to the bill.

Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak is an "Act to provide for regulation and control of the design, manufacture, maintenance, possession, use, operation, sale, export and import of aircraft and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto", the notification stated.

Before being passed in the Rajya Sabha last week, the legislation had received clearance from the Lok Sabha—the Lower House of the Parliament—in August.

Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak was introduced by the government to remove redundancies and replace the Aircraft Act, 1934, which was amended 21 times over the past several decades.

The new law focuses on enhancing safety, regulatory oversight, and consumer protection while aligning with international standards. It also promotes self-reliance in aircraft manufacturing, encourages investment, and establishes robust governance structures for civil aviation authorities.

During the discussion over the bill in the Rajya Sabha earlier this week, some of the lawmakers marked their objection over the law's title changed from English to Hindi. Among those who raised the objection was CPI(M) MP A A Rahim, who appealed the government to name the law as 'Indian Aircraft Act'.

Replying to the debate on the bill in the Rajya Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said the change in title of the bill from English to Hindi, to which many members raised objections, was done to "showcase the India's heritage and culture", and "there was no violation of Constitutional rule".

It will be difficult to pronounce the name of the bill in Hindi initially but one will get used to it, he added.

During the discussion in the Upper House, some of the lawmakers also flagged the issue of rising airfares. Responding to their concerns, the minister had said the government has worked on improving accessibility to a certain extent through Udan scheme and is committed to making it affordable for passengers.

Naidu further said the air ticket pricing mechanism is deregulated and it remains a "win-win situation for everyone". He also stressed on the need to develop local airports to accommodate more passengers.

With PTI inputs