India's aviation regulator has issued new rules for flights carrying high-ranking constitutional and political functionaries, two months after a Learjet 45 crashed near Baramati killing then Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others.
The order, issued under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, replaces safety circulars that had gone unrevised for decades and covers flights carrying the speaker of Lok Sabha, the deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha, chief ministers, governors, Union cabinet ministers, and the Chief Justice of India.
Operators are prohibited from subjecting flight crews to commercial pressure to undertake flights that may compromise safety, and last-minute itinerary changes demanded by VIPs must be routed through airline management.
The DGCA has mandated twin-engine aircraft with a minimum two-person crew for all VIP operations, and pilot eligibility has been tightened with commanders of fixed-wing aircraft requiring at least 3,000 flying hours.
The order extends the protection applicable to pilots to aircraft maintenance engineers and requires operators to appoint a dedicated compliance officer for election flying operations.
Non-compliance could invite action ranging from a formal caution to suspension of a pilot or aircraft maintenance engineer's licence, suspension of operations for a specified period, or cancellation of the operator's Air Operator Permit.
