Lok Sabha passes Aircraft (Amendment) Bill to give statutory status to DGCA

The Bill also seeks to give the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB) statutory status for which Centre can make rules.

File photo of Rajya Sabha during the Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi in 2020 | ANI

New Delhi: A bill that seeks to convert Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and two other existing bodies under the Civil Aviation Ministry into statutory bodies was passed by Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was passed by a voice vote after a reply by Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. The bill seeks to amend Aircraft Act, 1934. The audit conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation in 2012 and 2015 indicated a need to amend the Act to give proper recognition to the regulators, to enhance the maximum quantum of fines and to empower the departmental officers to impose financial penalties for violations of the legal provisions.

The bill adds air navigation services to the list for which the central government can make rules.

Apart from DGCA, two other bodies to get statutory status will be the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB).