Indian Aviation Regulator Announces New Stringent Safety Rules

2026-02-24 02:18:27

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Directorate General of Civil Aviation held a high-level meeting on Tuesday with all Non-Scheduled Operators (NSOPs) to address a recent surge in aviation incidents and emphasised prioritising safety over commercial interests while affirming that the pilot-in-command's decision to divert delay or cancel a fight for safety reasons is final and must be respected by operators without commercial considerations.

The aviation regulator announced new stringent safety mandates following a high-level meeting with non-scheduled operators.

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There have been two air accidents in less than a month involving small aircraft. DGCA emphasised the critical need for an increased focus on safety across the sector.

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A release said that the high-level interaction followed a comprehensive review of accident data from the past decade, which identifies non-adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), inadequate flight planning, and training deficiencies as the primary causative factors in aircraft accidents.

The regulator has announced a set of new measures "aimed at enforcing a zero-tolerance policy toward safety compromises within the NSOP sector".

"The regulator emphasised that safety must remain the absolute priority, superseding all commercial considerations, charter commitments, or VIP movements. The authority asserted that an organisation's leadership must prioritise safety above all other criteria," the release said.

"To support this, the authority reaffirmed that the Pilot-in-Command's decision to divert, delay, or cancel a flight for safety reasons is final and must be respected by operators without commercial consequences," it added.

The release said that to address systemic weaknesses in decision-making and to ensure operational discipline, the regulator is implementing several immediate measures including Mandatory Public Disclosures, Safety Ranking, Intensive Audits, Management Responsibility, Stricter Penalties and Maintenance Scrutiny.

In a significant move toward transparency, the regulator is introducing a mandatory disclosure policy.

"NSOP operators will be required to disclose critical safety information on their websites, including aircraft age, maintenance history, and pilot experience. This ensures that customers are fully informed about the standards of the aircraft they charter," the release said.