Centre notifies draft rules to clear obstacles near airports

THe telephone exchange authorities issued outline rules on midweek to regularise and remove physical obstructions around airports, six days after the devastating Air India crash in Ahmedabad, the deadliest in three decades, as authorities separately spoke of plans to survey structures near the city’s airport for potential safety violations.The Aircraft (Demolition of Obstructions Caused by Buildings and Trees etc.) Rules, 2025, were notified on June 18 under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, and are open for public feedback for 21 days. The rules aim to replace the three-decade-old Aircraft (Demolition of Obstructions) Rules, 1994.Under the proposed framework, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will have expanded authority to take action against any structure violating height restrictions around airports. “Any building or tree that violates notified height restrictions around airports may face demolition or height reduction orders from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),” the draft rules state.The regulations establish a detailed enforcement mechanism where airport authorities must notify owners of potential violations and conduct physical verification. Property owners will be required to submit structural details within 60 days, with a possible 60-day extension if granted.“If the DGCA determines, after providing an opportunity for a hearing, that a building or tree violates safety norms, an order can be issued for its demolition, trimming, or reduction in height,” the draft states.In cases of non-compliance, district collectors will be authorised to enforce demolition procedures, treating violations as unauthorised construction under local law. “On receiving the report from the officer-in-charge of the aerodrome, the district collector shall carry out forthwith the demolition of the building or the cutting of the tree or reduction in height of the building... In the same manner and by the same procedure as is followed in case of demolition of any unauthorized construction in his district,” the rules specify.The draft rules come as authorities prepare to conduct a comprehensive survey around Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport following last week’s crash. According to PTI, Ahmedabad district collector Sujeet Kumar told reporters that “a survey of areas surrounding the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport here will be conducted by the officials of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and the Civil Aviation department.”“Once the survey gets over, subsequent necessary work will be initiated,” Kumar said. The collector cited the new draft rules as providing the framework for potential action against structures posing threats to aircraft safety.Some analysts cautioned that while many airports around the country have buildings nearby that violate height norms, following through with an actual demolition will be hard. “While it’s easy to make rules, it will be next to impossible to implement them,” given the scale of non-conforming structures, said Mark Martin, founder and CEO at Martin Consulting, an aviation advisory firm, Bloomberg reported.An official at the Delhi airport said a survey will be initiated to identify obstructions in the Capital by both the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the directorate general of civil aviation. “The Air Traffic Control (ATC) directly reports to the AAI and so it will share information on possible obstructions. Both AAI and DGCA will also do their own surveys,” said the official, pointing to a similar exercise done in 2018 when 369 obstructions were identified, including trees, poles and buildings. “Subsequently, AAI also took action against these obstructions,” the airport official added.Compensation provisions are limited under the proposed new framework. “Compensation may be available but only for compliant or pre-existing structures. New constructions violating notified height restrictions will not be eligible,” the rules specify.The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a medical hostel complex in Meghaninagar area moments after take-off on June 12, killing all but one of the 242 people aboard and 29 others on the ground.The aircraft departed Ahmedabad airport at 1:39 PM on June 12, with the pilot issuing a Mayday distress call shortly after take-off before the plane crashed into the medical complex located outside the airport compound.