The Ministry of Civil Aviation has notified the Draft Aircraft Security Rules, 2022.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is the aviation security regulator.
The draft Aircraft Security Rules, 2022 will enable the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to impose a fine of Rs. 50 lakh to Rs. 1 crore on airports and airlines (depending on the size of the company) for violation of security measures.
Once the draft Rules are finalised, the BCAS can impose a fine on airports and airlines,
if they fail to prepare and implement a security programme, or
if they commence operations without seeking a security clearance.
Individuals will also face penalties ranging from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs 25 lakh depending on the nature of offence.
The BCAS will also be able to suspend or cancel an entity’s airport security clearance and security programme.
The rules also require each entity to protect its information and communication technology systems against unauthorized use and prohibit disclosure of sensitive aviation security information.
This will help the entities to deal with cyber security threats.
The rules authorize airports to engage private security agents instead of the CISF personnel at “non-core areas” and assign security duties as per the recommendation of the National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016.
The amendment was required after the United Nation’s aviation watchdog, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), raised questions about the three regulators functioning without statutory powers.
The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill 2020 sought to amend the Aircraft Act of 1934.
It seeks to provide statutory status to the
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),
Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and
Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
It seeks to expand the role of the two regulators, DGCA and BCAS.
References
Quick Facts
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is a United Nations (UN) specialized agency.
It is funded and directed by 193 national governments to support their diplomacy and cooperation in air transport as signatory states to the Chicago Convention (1944).
It is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
Its core function is
to maintain an administrative and expert bureaucracy (the ICAO Secretariat) supporting these diplomatic interactions, and
to research new air transport policy and standardization innovations as directed and endorsed by governments through the ICAO Assembly, or by the ICAO Council which the assembly elects.
Industry and civil society groups, and other concerned regional and international organizations, also participate in the exploration and development of new standards at ICAO in their capacity as ‘Invited Organizations’.
In addition to these core diplomatic and research capabilities, ICAO serves as a critical coordination platform in civil aviation through its seven Regional Offices.
