India's Ministry of Civil Aviation notifies the Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026, which takes effect on 1 January 2027 and sets maximum fines of up to US$119,000 (INR10 million).
Law.asia reported that the Ministry of Civil Aviation has notified the Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026, repealing the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and becoming the principal rulebook for civil aviation in India. The rules come into effect on 1 January 2027 and apply to all aircraft registered in India or currently in or over India.
The sixth schedule sets penalties by severity of offence and by whether the offender is an individual or a company. Company size is based on employee numbers: up to 50 is small, 50-100 is medium, and more than 100 is large. The largest possible fine is US$119,000 (INR10 million) (USD106,000) for large organisations, US$89,000 (INR7.5 million) for medium organisations, US$12,000 (INR1 million) for small organisations and US$30,000 (INR2.5 million) for individuals. The schedule clarifies that an employee of an organisation is considered an individual.
The rules include provisions on aircraft design, certification and acceptance criteria for designs and authorised component manufacturers. They also clearly identify responsibility for maintenance and operations, even in the case of joint ownership of aircraft. Other areas covered are aircraft registration, airworthiness, personnel licensing, aerodrome operations, air navigation services and aircraft operations, along with offences and penalties for non-compliance.
The rules are said to modernise the existing rules by addressing developments in operations, facilitating ease of doing business and protecting passenger interests. They also repeal part IX of the Aircraft Rules, 1920, and the Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificate and Licence Rules, 2025.
