India's Push For Aviation Self-Reliance: Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024 Gets Presidential Assent, Replaces Colonial Era Aircraft Act

President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to a bill aimed at promoting the designing and manufacturing of aircraft in India.

The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, which replaces the 90-year-old Aircraft Act, was cleared by the Parliament earlier this month.

According to a notification dated December 11, the bill has received the President’s assent.

“An Act to provide for regulation and control of the design, manufacture, maintenance, possession, use, operation, sale, export and import of aircraft and matters connected therewith or incidental thereto,” said the notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

The legislation seeks to remove redundancies and replace the Aircraft Act, of 1934, which has been amended 21 times.

The Parliament had last week passed the bill and with the Presidential assent, it has become a law.

The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024 was passed in the Rajya Sabha by a voice vote on 5 December. It was earlier cleared by the Lok Sabha on 9 August.

Replying to the debate on the bill in the Upper House, 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.

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

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