GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF CIVIL AVIATION

OPP. SAFDARJUNG AIRPORT, NEW DELHI

CIVIL AVIATION REQUIREMENT

SECTION 3 – AIR TRANSPORT
SERIES ‘C’ PART X
ISSUE I, 2ND JUNE 2010 EFFECTIVE : FORTHWITH

File No. AV.14027/3/2010-AT-I

Subject: MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR UNDERTAKING AIRCRAFT

OPERATIONS WITH AIRCRAFT OWNED BY STATE
GOVERNMENTS/ PUBLIC SECTOR UNDERTAKINGS OF CENTRAL/
STATE GOVERNMENTS.

1. INTRODUCTION

The aircraft owned by State Governments and Public Sector Undertakings of

the Central/ State Governments are being increasingly used for carriage of
Governors, Chief Ministers, State / Central Ministers, and other important high
dignitaries. In order to ensure better safety oversight control on the operation
of such aircraft, it has been decided that the concerned State Government/
PSU shall obtain permission from DGCA for operating such aircraft.

This Civil Aviation Requirement contains the procedural requirements for

issue of permission to undertake aircraft operations by State Governments or
Public Sector Undertakings of the Central/ State Governments. This CAR is
issued under provisions of Rule 133A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937. These
requirements are complementary to the requirements of ICAO Annex 6 Part II,
as applicable to General Aviation.

2. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

2.1 Permission for undertaking aircraft operations under this CAR can be granted
only to:

a) A State Government; or
b) A body corporate owned or controlled by the Central or a State
Government.

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2.2 Before the permission for undertaking aircraft operations is issued, an

applicant shall

(a) be in possession of an aircraft either by outright purchase or through

lease. The aircraft shall be registered in India and shall hold a
Certificate of Airworthiness in Normal Passenger category. Aircraft
certified in Private category shall not qualify for this purpose;
(b) either have its own maintenance organization or have suitable
arrangements with any other organization, duly approved by DGCA, for
maintenance of the type of aircraft;
(c) have a proper aviation organization with adequate management
personnel;
(d) have at least two sets of appropriately licensed flight crew; and
(e) have adequate ground handling facilities to support the operations.

3. PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS

Broadly, the following steps shall be followed for grant of permission to

undertake aircraft operations by State Governments or Public sector
undertakings of the Central/ State Governments.

3.1 An applicant desirous of obtaining permission to undertake aircraft operations

under this CAR shall make an application to DGCA (As per Annexure I to this
CAR) and provide any other information as may be required by DGCA.

3.2 The applicant shall establish the required infrastructure and prepare an
Operations manual, in accordance with CAR Section 2, Series O, Part X and
get it approved by DGCA.

3.3 It is permissible to import aircraft and helicopters, by following the procedure

laid down in the Import Licensing Note of Chapter 88 of Schedule I (Imports)
of the ITC(HS) Classification of Export and Import items.

3.4 The applicant may, with the approval of the competent authority, acquire
suitable aircraft within the country, on purchase or lease basis. If import of a
used aircraft is envisaged, the applicant shall furnish an Export Certificate of
Airworthiness from the State of Registry with the necessary information to
show that the specific aircraft proposed to be imported meets the
requirements of paragraph 4.3 of this CAR and that all mandatory
modifications, Airworthiness Directives and equipment required to be installed
have been complied with. A list of Mandatory Modifications and Airworthiness
Directives pending compliance or terminal action, if any, shall be submitted to
DGCA.

3.5 On completion of necessary preparedness, the applicant shall apply to DGCA

for issue of permission to import/ acquire the aircraft, as per Annexure II to
this CAR.
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3.6 The applicant shall provide the qualification, experience and training details of
the pilots and engineers recruited by them.

3.7 The applicant should get the training programme for pilots and engineers
approved by DGCA and ensure that the training is completed before the
aircraft is acquired.

3.8 After such scrutiny as may be considered necessary, the DGCA may grant
the applicant permission for acquisition of the aircraft with such conditions as
may be specified.

3.9 The permission to import the aircraft shall be valid for one year. This
permission may be extended on one time basis by 3 months on genuine
grounds with the prior approval of the competent authority. However, where
the aircraft proposed to be imported is a new one with a definite delivery
schedule, the validity of import permission shall be in accordance with the
delivery schedule. Extension beyond the said period may be granted in
genuine cases by the DGCA.

4. AIRCRAFT AND AIRWORTHINESS REQUIREMENTS

4.1 Subject to 4.2, there will be no restriction on the type and seating capacity of
the aircraft to be imported/ acquired by the applicant.

4.2 Multi-engine fixed wing aircraft and single turbine or multi – turbine engine
helicopters (passenger version) with good operational capability under IFR,
reliability and easy maintainability shall be used. The aircraft should have
been type certificated to the satisfaction of DGCA as specified in CAR 21.

4.3 Pressurized aircraft to be imported shall not be more than 15 years in age or
shall not have completed 75 percent of its design economic life or 45,000
pressurization cycles whichever is earlier. However, this requirement will not
be applicable for Indian registered aircraft maintained in accordance with
DGCA requirements.

4.4 For the import of a used unpressurized aircraft, the decision will be taken on a
case-to case basis depending on a complete examination of the records and,
if required, inspection of the aircraft being procured. Unpressurized aircraft
shall not be more than 20 years old.

4.5 Before import of an aircraft, the applicant shall ensure that no major checks
including those applicable to aging aircraft, if applicable, are due within one
year/ 2000 flight hours.

4.6 The aircraft shall be fitted with mandatory equipments as specified by DGCA
from time to time.

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4.7 The aircraft shall be maintained by an approved organization in accordance
with regulations in vogue and comply with the various requirements, as
specified from time to time in CAR Section 2 Series O part III.

4.8 The applicant shall prepare and get DGCA’s approval for MEL, Maintenance
Programme and Maintenance control manual.

4.9 The applicant shall comply with DGCA requirements on the subject of
continuing airworthiness of aircraft, or such other instructions issued by DGCA
from time to time.

5. ORGANISATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

The applicant’s aviation organization referred to in 2.2(c) shall have the

following elements:

5.1 The organization shall nominate a suitable person having knowledge of

aviation regulations and with adequate financial authority to act as
Accountable Manager. Such nomination shall be made to the concerned
regional office of DGCA. There shall also be an alternate Accountable
Manager. Any change in Accountable Manager shall be with prior intimation to
the concerned regional office of DGCA.

5.2 The organization shall have divisions depending on its scope of activity
namely Engineering, Operations, Quality and Safety Divisions, etc. Such
divisions will have competent persons to ensure compliance with applicable
regulations.

5.3 The organization shall have an operations office with adequate management
and operations personnel. Among the operations personnel, there shall be
Operations Officer/ Flight Despatcher responsible for functions stated in para
4.6 of CAR Section 2, Series O part II & IV. The Operations Officers/Flight
Despatchers will be trained and approved in accordance with CAR Section 7
Series M Part II. The organization shall have persons responsible for
monitoring FDTL, and provide information to the flight crew on operational
matters such as obtaining clearances, maintenance of technical and
operational records, coordinating with local and other concerned ATCs and
when required, initiating search and rescue. The responsibilities of various
personnel in the operational organization will be enumerated in the
organization’s operations manual which will be approved by DGCA.

5.4 The organization shall nominate a person responsible for operational control
of each flight. Such person shall preferably maintain the radio contact by any
means including satellite communication with the flight crew and should be
able to monitor crew actions. He shall make an operational flight plan for
each flight and obtain the latest enroute and destination weather information
for the flight crew.

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5.5 The organization shall have adequate technical personnel to prepare
maintenance programmes, work packages, MEL and other technical
documents, procure spares and equipments, analyse mandatory airworthiness
information provided by the manufacturer and the DGCA and take necessary
implementation actions. The organization shall have necessary technical
personnel/ technicians and licensed engineers duly qualified and trained to
perform maintenance and inspection of the aircraft and release the aircraft for
service. This activity of continuing Airworthiness can be out sourced to a duly
approved continuing airworthiness organization as provided in CAR M.

5.6 The organization shall, at its own expenditure provide for training of DGCA
officers along with the organisation’s engineers, whenever a new type of
aircraft or helicopter is inducted.

5.7 Adequately qualified staff to carry out periodic review of airworthiness, aircraft
documents and on board safety equipments shall be employed.

5.8 The organization shall have in their safety division adequately qualified
persons to analyse incidents, defects, carry out internal safety audits and
monitor flight operations quality assurance by downloading flight data recorder
information. The head of safety division shall be approved in accordance with
CAR Section 5, Series F, part I.

5.9 The organization shall ensure that appropriate arrangements are made for
security of the aircraft at base and also during halts at uncontrolled
aerodromes.

5.10 An operator shall formulate and implement a safety management system

acceptable to the DGCA, which as a minimum:

a) identifies safety hazards;

b) provides for continuous monitoring and regular assessment of the
safety level achieved;
c) ensures that remedial action necessary to maintain an acceptable
level of safety takes place on a continual basis; and
d) aims to make continuous improvement to the overall level of safety.

5.11 A safety management system shall clearly define lines of safety

accountability throughout the operator’s organization, including a direct
accountability for safety on the part of senior management.

Note. — Guidance on safety management systems is contained in the ICAO

Safety Management Manual (SMM) (Doc 9859).

6. OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

6.1 The permission holder shall adhere to the provisions of the operations
manual.

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6.2 Except cases falling under para 5.3 of this CAR, the permission holder may
operate services to/ from all the airports in the country which are open to
scheduled operations, subject to prior approval of the authorities of the
airports where such approval is required, and also from such other public or
private airports as may be available.

6.3 For operating to international destinations, permission from DGCA shall be

obtained for which a notice period of one working day will be required. This
notice period may be waived off for relief flights during natural calamities and
ambulance flights, in which case the name of the patient and doctor shall be
provided to DGCA. Such flights shall be operated with at least two pilots.

6.4 The permission holder shall ensure that operations are conducted only to/
from airports suitable for the type of aircraft. In case of landing at temporary
Helicopter Landing Areas, the minimum Safety Requirements as laid down in
CAR, Section 4, Series B, Part II, shall be strictly followed. For operations to
defence airfields, requirements stipulated in CAR Section 3, Series 'D' shall
be complied with.

6.5 The permission holder shall ensure that all the security requirements
stipulated by Bureau of Civil Aviation Security are strictly followed.

6.6 Airports Authority of India/ Defence Authorities/ State Government authorities

and owners of other licensed/ approved aerodromes, as the case may be,
shall provide safety services for operation from their aerodromes within the
normal watch hours. Operations outside the watch hours shall be in
accordance with the conditions specified and approved by such authorities.

6.7 The permission holder shall ensure that the requisite documents as per the
Aircraft Rules 1937 and CAR, Section 2, Series X, Part VII are carried on
board each aircraft. The operator shall operate flights in conformity with the
provisions of the Operations Manual.

6.8 Flight and duty time of the crew shall be within the limits stipulated in the
Aircraft Rules and the requirements laid down by DGCA.

6.9 The operator shall submit the flight plan of each flight with the air traffic
services unit in the normal course and obtain clearance thereto well before
the expected time of operation. In case of Air Defence Identification Zones
(A.D.I.Z.), the additional requirement of obtaining Air Defence Clearance shall
be strictly adhered to. For operation outside ATC watch hours, necessary
clearances from the competent authorities for extension of watch hours shall
be taken before commencing the flight.

6.10 The Pilot-in-Command of the aircraft or an authorized/ approved person shall

obtain meteorological and ATC briefings before undertaking the flight. In case
meteorological observations and weather forecasts are not available at the
point of departure, the pilot shall obtain the same from nearest meteorological
office on phone or through police wireless network or by any other available

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means. No operations shall be conducted when the weather conditions are
not conducive to safe operations of the flight.

6.11 The permission holder shall follow the provisions of the Aircraft (Carriage of
Dangerous Goods) Rules 2003.

6.12 For operations under instrument meteorological conditions, the aircraft shall
be fitted with suitable equipment required for instrument flying and the pilot
shall hold appropriate and valid instrument rating.

6.13 In case of flights over water, the pilot shall ensure that appropriate life saving
equipment, as specified in CAR Section2, Series O Part III is available for
each person on board, and each person is briefed for the proper use of the
equipment in case of emergency.

6.14 When cabin crew are not carried, the pilot shall brief the persons sitting next
to emergency exits on proper use of such exits prior to commencement of
flight.

6.15 When operating VIP flights with fixed wing aircraft, the pilot-in-command shall
possess CPL or ATPL with at least 3000 hours including 2000 hours as PIC,
50 hours as PIC on type of aircraft to be flown and 50 hours of night flying
experience. In addition, the pilot should have a minimum of 30 hours as PIC
experience in the last 6 months including five hours on type in the last thirty
days of the intended flight. In case 30 hrs. recency during the last 6 months is
not met with, then in last 30 days, a satisfactory skill test (as required for
licence renewal) shall be carried out followed by 5 hrs. of PIC experience.

6.16 When operating VIP flights with helicopters, the pilot-in-command shall
possess a CPL (H) or ATPL (H) with at least 2000 hrs. including 500 hours of
PIC experience, 75 hours as PIC on type of aircraft, and at least 10 hours of
night flying experience. In addition, the pilot should have a minimum of 30
hours as PIC experience in the last 6 months including five hours on type in
the last thirty days of the intended flight. In case 30 hrs. recency during the
last 6 months is not met with, then in last 30 days, a satisfactory skill test (as
required for licence renewal) shall be carried out followed by 5 hrs. of PIC
experience.

6.17 VIP flights shall always be operated with a multiple crew composition and the
PIC shall meet the requirements of 6.15 or 6.16, as the case may be.

Note 1: When a new type of aircraft is introduced in the fleet of State

Government/ undertaking, the experience of PIC on type may be reduced with
prior permission of DGCA, if the pilot has adequate flying experience of
similar type of aircraft.

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Note 2 : For the purpose of this CAR, a VIP flight means a flight having
among its passengers any one or more of the following:
(a) Speaker Lok Sabha
(b) Dy. Chairperson Rajya Sabha
(c) Central Ministers of Cabinet Rank
(d) C J I Supreme Court
(e) Governors of State
(f) Chief Minister of State.
(g) State Ministers of Cabinet rank
(h) SPG protectees - Z+ category only

7. ISSUE OF PERMISSION TO UNDERTAKE AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS

After such scrutiny as necessary about the preparedness in accordance with

the preceding paragraphs, DGCA may issue the permission in the prescribed
form to undertake aircraft operations along with Operations Specifications
stipulating any conditions, if considered necessary, to an applicant who meets
all the requirements of this CAR. The permission shall specify the aircraft /
helicopters for undertaking the operations. A fee of Rs.100,000/- shall be paid
to DGCA for the issuance of the permission by the way of demand draft
payable to PAO, DGCA, MCA, New Delhi.

8. RENEWAL OF PERMISSION

8.1 The permission issued to undertake aircraft operations shall be renewable by

DGCA every two years after the initial issue on payment of Rs.50,000/- by
demand draft payable to PAO, DGCA, MCA, New Delhi.

8.2 The permission holder shall submit its request for renewal alongwith its
internal safety audit report within 60 days prior to expiry of the permission.
DGCA may also carry out an audit of the operator’s facilities if considered
necessary.

8.3 The permission holder shall demonstrate continued capability to conduct the
operations authorized under the operating permission.

9. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

9.1 A copy of the permission issued shall be displayed in the office of the
Accountable Manager

9.2 Any change in the Accountable Manager or alternate at any time shall be
intimated to the DGCA along with the details of new Accountable Manager or
an alternate.

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9.3 The permission issued to undertake aircraft operations shall not be
transferable.

9.4 Landing and parking charges, if any, shall be payable to the owner of the
airfield. For operations from defence airfields where Airports Authority of India
have civil enclaves, a separate charge may be payable to the Airports
Authority. The Route Navigation Facilities Charges (RNFC) shall be payable
to the organisation which provides these facilities.

9.5 The permit holder shall notify to DGCA any accidents, incidents, major defects
or other significant occurrences as given in Car Section 5 Series C Part I.
Such information shall be provided to DGCA (Attention: Director Air safety) by
the quickest means but not later than 24 hours

9.6 The safety division shall follow proactive accident prevention procedures.

9.7 The permission holder shall file monthly return to DGCA on the number of
hours flown by each aircraft of the fleet, defects encountered and reasons for
prolonged grounding of the aircraft, if any. Such return will be sent to local
airworthiness office with a copy to DGCA Hqrs (Attn: Director of Air Transport)

9.8 The applicable requirements contained in CAR Section 8 – Flight Operations,

Series 'A' Part II as applicable to Non Scheduled Operators shall be complied
with by the Permission holders.

9.10 DGCA may stipulate any other condition to ensure safety of operations or
grant exemptions from any requirements, if considered necessary.

9.11 Degradation of the capability below the required level or breach of any of the
requirements of this CAR or of any provisions of Aircraft Act, 1934, Aircraft
Rules 1937, Civil Aviation Requirements, orders/ directions/ requirements
issued under the said act or rules and as amended from time to time, shall
render the permission liable to alteration, suspension or cancellation and shall
also attract penalties under the enforcement provisions of DGCA for such
violations.

Note. Any State Government or PSU already operating aircraft shall establish
and demonstrate its capabilities in accordance with this CAR within 04
months of the issue of the CAR and obtain permission for undertaking
aircraft operations. The period may be extended by two months in
genuine cases.

(Dr. Nasim Zaidi)

Director General of Civil Aviation

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CIVIL AVIATION REQUIREMENTS SECTION 3 AIR TRANSPORT
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ANNEXURE I
APPLICATION FOR ISSUE OF PERMISSION TO UNDERTAKE AIRCRAFT
OPERATIONS WITH AIRCRAFT OWNED BY STATE GOVERNMENTS/ PSUs.

1. Applicant's details

a) Name in which the Permission is sought

b) Address with telephone, Fax numbers, e-mail of the registered office.
c) Address of principal office, including operations and maintenance
bases.
d) Name/ Designation of Accountable Manager and Alternate.

2. Details of Organisation

a) Organisation structure including details of operational, management,

engineering quality set up, flight safety cell etc.
b) Location of the maintenance facility with details of organisation,
equipment and approved maintenance program.
c) Details of the maintenance personnel and plans for their type training.
d) Details of flight crew, their licences and plans for their type training.
e) Location of the main operational base.
f) Arrangements for ground handling.

3. Details of aircraft proposed to be operated

a) Type, make and number of the aircraft.

b) Whether the aircraft is type certified by DGCA-India
c) Whether the aircraft is acquired on outright purchase or lease finance
or wet lease or dry lease.
d) Name and address of Owner / Lessor for the purpose of registration of
aircraft.
e) Passenger capacity of each type of aircraft.
f) Maximum Take Off Mass.
k) Places for night parking of the aircraft.

4. State if the applicant has at any time contravened any provision of the Aircraft
Act 1934 and/or the rules made thereunder. If so, give details.

5. Statement showing compliance with the Civil Aviation Requirements(CAR

Section 3 Series 'C' Part I if the aircraft are leased by the operator.

6. Date of expected commencement of the operations.

7. Whether the security program has been filed with BCAS.

Certified that the statements made/information given in this application are

true, and no material fact has been suppressed.

(Signature of the applicant/authorised signatory)

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ANNEXURE II

APPLICATION FOR IMPORT/ACQUISITION OF AIRCRAFT

Part I – General Information

1. Name in which the Permission is sought

2. Address with telephone, e-mail, Fax numbers of the registered office.
3. Existing aircraft : type-wise and their seating capacity
4. (a) Aircraft type, number, configuration and other technical details in respect of
the aircraft proposed to be imported/acquired.
(Details of aircraft to be furnished as per format given below in Part II)
(b) Maintenance and operational base of the proposed aircraft.
5. Source of crew and their names, if not already provided.
(a) For existing fleet.
(b) For proposed fleet.
6. Arrangements for training of crew.
7. Source of engineers/technical staff and their names, if not already provided
(a) For existing fleet
(b) For proposed fleet
8. Arrangements/level of readiness for maintenance of aircraft.

Part II – Details of the Aircraft

a) Type and Make of the aircraft:

b) Nationality and Registration of the aircraft:
c) Manufacturer and year of manufacture of the aircraft:
d) Serial number of the aircraft:
e) No. of passenger seats / Weight of cargo permissible as per type certificate of the
aircraft /helicopter:
f) Maximum certified take-off mass:
g) Engine type mounted on aircraft
h) Number of hours flown since new:
i) Number of landing since new:
j) Number of pressurisation cycles since new:
k) Last major check done and number of hours since flown:
l) Next major check due
m) Name of the company from which the aircraft/helicopter is being taken on lease:
n) Previous history of aircraft with details of any incident/accident involving structural
damage:
o) Name of the Authority and country which issued the last Certificate of Airworthiness:

UNDERTAKING

It is confirmed that the aircraft after registration in India shall be maintained, operated
and de-registered (if required) in accordance with the Indian rules, regulations,
procedures and any condition specified by DGCA India and there is no binding or
limitation of any kind in this regard in the lease agreement for the acquisition of the
aircraft.

(Signature of the Applicant/Authorised Signatory)

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