Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026: A Modern Rulebook for India's Skies

The Government notified the Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026, replacing the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and repealing the Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificate and Licence Rules, 2025. The new rules, coming into force on 1 January 2027, establish a modern regulatory framework for civil aviation.

• The Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026 comprises 220 rules organized into eight chapters and six schedules.
• The rules recognize fractional ownership of aircraft, allowing an aircraft to be jointly owned while placing its operation and maintenance under clearly identified responsibility.
• The rules prescribe 21 punishable offences attracting imprisonment of up to two years, a fine of up to ₹1 crore, or both.
• The rules introduce a graded penalty structure comprising ten severity levels, with monetary penalties ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹1 crore.
• The Central Government may establish a Regional Air Connectivity Fund to provide viability gap funding for regional air connectivity, with possible contributions from State Governments.
• The rules prescribe a minimum of one cabin crew member for aeroplanes with 10–50 seats and two cabin crew members for aircraft with more than 50 seats.