NEW DELHI — The Ministry of Civil Aviation has notified the Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026, replacing the Aircraft Rules, 1937, with the new framework set to come into force on January 1, 2027, ANI reported on November 2. The notification was dated October 26, 2026 and published in the Gazette of India on October 31, 2026, and the rules have been framed under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, according to Aviation Today. The 220-rule framework covers aircraft registration, design and manufacturing, airworthiness, maintenance, personnel licensing, air traffic services, aerodrome licensing, airline operations, safety management and air transport services.

Source: ANI via NewKerala

For passengers, the sharpest change is fare transparency. Under Rule 192, scheduled Indian airlines and foreign airlines operating scheduled services to, from or across India must establish tariffs based on factors including operating costs, submit them to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in the prescribed manner and publish them on their websites or other digital platforms, ANI and Aviation Today reported. Airlines must display the total amount payable by a passenger on booking websites and on the booked ticket, with a separate break-up of the basic fare, taxes, fees, cancellation charges, refund conditions and any other applicable charges — the 2026 provisions specifically add cancellation charges and refund conditions to the particulars that must be disclosed.

Source: Aviation Today

The rules also keep a government override on prices. Under Rule 192, the Centre can issue written directions to airlines on fares if it considers that an extraordinary situation has arisen and intervention is necessary in the public interest; such directions must be proportionate and remain in force only for the specified period, ANI reported. The notification does not introduce a standing cap on airfares, Storyboard18 reported. Under the earlier Aircraft Rules, 1937, Rule 135(4) empowered the DGCA to issue directions in cases of excessive or predatory pricing or oligopolistic practices; the new Rule 192 retains tariff monitoring but does not specifically list those grounds, ANI noted. India deregulated airline fare fixation in 1994, and the Civil Aviation Ministry has maintained that fares are generally governed by market conditions.

Source: ANI via NewKerala

Until the new framework takes effect, the Aircraft Rules, 1937 will continue to govern, and the 2026 rules preserve actions and approvals taken under the repealed rules where they are not inconsistent with the 2024 Act, Aviation Today reported. The Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024 itself replaced the Aircraft Act, 1934 and came into force on January 1, 2025. What happens next: airlines and the DGCA have until January 1, 2027 to move tariff filing, ticket displays and operating procedures onto the new rulebook. Sources: ANI, Aviation Today, Storyboard18.

Source: Storyboard18