India plans greater oversight on foreign airlines operating here

NEW DELHI: India plans to strengthen its oversight over foreign airlines operating to and from here under bilateral agreements with other countries. Also, it plans to align the grievance redressal mechanism of those operators with the requirements in India. Once passed, the amendment will mean more oversight for India over the foreign airlines operating here.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has released a draft "aeronautical information circular" for stakeholder comments, proposing updates to the regulatory framework governing the grant of operating authorisation to foreign airlines operating into India under Bilateral Air Services Agreements. The existing framework issued in June 2020 outlines the procedural and regulatory requirements for foreign carriers seeking operating authorisation in India.

"A mechanism of passenger grievance redressal framework has also been introduced, thereby ensuring that foreign airlines operating under the operating authorisation are aligned with the passenger grievance handling and consumer protection mechanisms applicable in India.

The revision is expected to facilitate a more efficient and transparent regulatory process while maintaining the DGCA’s commitment to safety oversight and compliance with international aviation obligations," a senior official said.

The new draft AIC seeks to update and clarify the provisions to align the guidance with current regulatory practices and digital processes. A key change in the draft AIC is the integration of the eGCA platform for submission and processing of applications for the grant of operating authorisation and approval of schedules, thereby replacing the earlier largely manual submission process and facilitating electronic processing.

"The draft AIC also expands and rationalises the documentation requirements to be submitted by designated foreign airlines, including details relating to Air Operator Certificate, operating specifications, safety oversight arrangements of the State of the Operator, fleet details, security approvals and other regulatory clearances," said an official.

The proposed AIC also introduces provisions to address unforeseen or urgent operational circumstances, wherein, as per existing regulations, the foreign scheduled airlines require permissions beyond normal office hours. In the draft AIC the foreign scheduled carriers have been allowed to operate their approved flights with certain revisions without seeking prior approval of DGCA subject to submission of requisite documents and updation of the information on the eGCA platform.