DGCA tightens safety rules for VVIP flights

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has tightened regulations for operating VVIP flights, two months after Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash.

The new regulations increase the flying experience that the flight crew operating such flights must have. They require engineers to check and fix any defect in engines, instruments or systems reported by the pilot or detected during ground inspection before the next take-off.

Operators and state authorities need to ensure that helipads intended for landing are inspected at least 24 hours in advance. Pilots operating VVIP flights shall not be subjected to undue pressure, the civil aviation regulator said in an order issued on Friday. ET has seen the order.


Pawar was killed when the Learjet aircraft he was travelling on from Mumbai crashed in Baramati on January 28. Four others also died in the crash. In its preliminary investigation report, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said the pilots had tried to land the plane with lower-than-permitted visibility. The report also highlighted lack of basic meteorological facilities and operational gaps at the uncontrolled airfield in Baramati.