New aviation rulebook to replace Aircraft Rules, 1937 from 1 January 2027

India's new civil aviation rulebook, the Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026, will replace the Aircraft Rules, 1937 when it comes into force on 1 January 2027, according to a PIB backgrounder.

The rules are made under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024. They run to 220 rules in eight chapters and six schedules, covering aircraft registration, airworthiness, personnel licensing, aerodrome operations, air navigation services and aircraft operations, as well as safety management, enforcement and penalties. They also replace Part IX of the Aircraft Rules, 1920, and repeal the Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificate and Licence Rules, 2025, subject to savings provisions.

Why new rules

The backgrounder says India's operational airports rose from 74 in 2014 to 166 as of October 2026, and that rules must keep pace with changes in aircraft technology, operations and financing.

Notable provisions

• Design and certification: a clearer framework for accepting aircraft designs and authorising component manufacture, which it says strengthens India's position as a "State of Design".
• Fractional ownership: an aircraft can be jointly owned while operation and maintenance stay under clearly identified responsibility.
• Leasing: together with the Protection of Interests in Aircraft Objects Act, 2025, the Irrevocable De-registration and Export Request Authorisation (IDERA) mechanism gives a time-bound process for deregistering and exporting eligible aircraft. The backgrounder says this "may help reduce" acquisition and leasing costs and ease pressure on airfares over time.
• Passengers: safeguards that promote transparency in airfares and associated charges, while allowing the Centre to act in extraordinary circumstances.
• Basic safety: aircraft must be registered and show nationality and registration marks, and must carry valid registration and airworthiness certificates.

The effect on fares is the backgrounder's expectation, not a figure.

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Source: official release by the PIB Backgrounder, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (04 NOV 2026 6:11PM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026: A Modern Rulebook for India’s Skies.