New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) All states operating choppers and aircraft have agreed to follow the guidelines mandated by the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the government said here Tuesday.
“The states have agreed on this. This would rectify the drawbacks of the present system of operations of aircraft by state governments,” Civil Aviation Secretary M. Madhavan Nambiar told reporters after meeting officials from various states.

“As on date, there is no defined or laid down regulations for such operations though state governments do have aircraft registered under normal and passenger category,” Nambiar said.

DGCA director general Naseem A. Zaidi said states will be required to obtain air service authorization as required under Aircraft Rules within four months.

“The states will now have to undergo one-time safety audit and their pilots too have to go through one-time check under the supervision of DGCA flight inspectors,” Zaidi said.

States will also be required to upgrade existing resources and facilities to ensure higher degree of safety through extensive internal and external audits.

Currently, all states — except the north-eastern states, Himachal Pradesh and Orissa — own aircraft and in all operate 14 choppers and 21 aircraft for use by chief ministers, ministers and other VIPs.

However, as of now, the DGCA has not put civilian choppers and aircraft including those owned by corporate houses under the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), the regulatory requirements designed to enhance safety and the competitiveness of the aviation industry.

“There have been 11 fatal accidents in the past 15 years and five in the last five years, where VIPs have lost their lives. Once the state government-owned choppers and aircraft come under our purview, safety will be enhanced,” said Zaidi.

The most recent incident involving death of a VIP in an air crash was that of the late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajshekhara Reddy.