UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026: A Modern Rulebook for India’s Skies

Q1. With reference to rules framed by the executive under a parent Act, such as the Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026 framed under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A rule that has been duly notified can still be struck down by a court if it goes beyond the scope of the parent Act.
  2. Once rules are notified, Parliament has no further role in examining them, since its role ends with enacting the parent Act.
  3. Delegation allows Parliament to set out policy in the Act and leave technical detail, such as categories of licences and certificates, to be worked out in rules.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Even after the Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026 was notified, the Aircraft Rules, 1937 continue to govern the matters they cover until the Niyam's commencement date.
  2. In India, subordinate legislation takes legal effect only after it has been laid before both Houses of Parliament and approved by them.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026, the voluntary safety reporting system is designed to be non-punitive and confidential.
  2. When reporters are protected from punishment, they are more willing to disclose errors and hazards that would otherwise go unreported, so risks can be addressed before they lead to accidents.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q4. With reference to aircraft certification, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. When India's regulator validates a type certificate originally issued by a foreign authority, India becomes the State of Design for that aircraft model.
  2. A type certificate approves the design of an aircraft model, whereas a certificate of airworthiness relates to one individual aircraft.
  3. Acting as a State of Design lets a country's regulator certify an aircraft model designed at home, as DGCA did for HAL's Hindustan 228, instead of depending on a foreign authority's original certification.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. With reference to the move from criminal sanctions to graded civil penalties in regulatory laws, such as in the Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Grading monetary penalties across severity levels lets the sanction be matched to the gravity of the breach, so a minor procedural lapse is not treated like a safety-critical violation.
  2. Replacing imprisonment with civil penalties for minor lapses aims to ease the fear of criminal prosecution for honest mistakes, while keeping harsher punishment for serious breaches.
  3. Because civil penalties involve no criminal trial, the authority imposing them does not need to give a hearing or record reasons.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q6. With reference to viability gap funding for regional air connectivity under the UDAN framework, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. Viability gap funding covers the shortfall between the cost of running a regional route and the revenue it can earn at affordable fares.
  2. Financing the fund through a levy on other domestic flights is a form of cross-subsidisation of regional routes.
  3. Under the modified scheme, support to airlines tapers over time, on the expectation that a route should become self-sustaining as demand grows.
  4. The per-departure levy also applies to flights on regional connectivity routes, so those routes help fund their own subsidy.
  • A. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only