Aircraft Amendment Bill 2020 passed in Rajya Sabha, to become Act soon

New Delhi: On the second day of the Parliament Session, Rajya Sabha, on Tuesday, passed the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill 2020, which was tabled by Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, after an hour-long discussion.

The Bill was tabled by Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and MP's from the opposition party also raised their point in the house. 

It is to be noted that the Bill had already been cleared by the Lok Sabha in March this year.

The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill 2020 seeks to convert aviation agencies like the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil aviation security (BCAS) and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into statutory bodies.

Under the new Act (after its implementation), any violation will attract heavy punishment, for example, violators will be punished up to two years in jail or fine up to Rs 10 lakhs or both. Carrying arms, ammunition, and explosives or other banned goods on board, and developing illegal construction around the airports will attract fines up to Rs 10 lakhs to Rs 1 crore.