1. Short title, commencement and application.—(1) This Act may be called the Airports Authority
of India Act, 1994.
(2) It shall come into force on such date2
as the Central Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, appoint.
(3) It applies to—
(a) all airports whereat air transport services are operated or are intended to be operated, other
than airports and airfields belonging to, or subject to the control of, any armed force of the Union;
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[(aa) all private airports insofar as it relates to providing air traffic service, to issue directions
under section 37 to them and for the purposes of Chapter VA;]
(b) all civil enclaves;
(c) all aeronautical communication stations; and
(d) all training stations, establishments and workshops relating to air transport services.
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “aeronautical communication station” means a station in the aeronautical communication
service which includes aeronautical practising service, aeronautical fixed service, aeronautical mobile
service and aeronautical radio communication service;
(b) “airport” means a landing and taking off area for aircrafts, usually with runways and aircraft
maintenance and passenger facilities and includes aerodrome as defined in clause (2) of section 2 of
the Aircraft Act, 1934 (22 of 1934);
(c) “airstrip” means an area used or intended to be used for the landing and take-off of aircrafts
with short take-off and landing characteristics and includes all buildings and structures thereon or
appertaining thereto;
(d) “air traffic service” includes flight information service, alerting service, air traffic advisory
service, air traffic control service, area control service, approach control service and airport control
service;
(e) “air transport service” means any service, for any kind of remuneration, whatsoever, for the
transport by air of persons, mail or any other thing, animate or inanimate, whether such service relates
to a single flight or series of flights;
1. Ins. by Act of 43 of 2003, s. 2 (w.e.f. 1-7-2004).
2.1st April, 1995, vide notification No. S.O. 285(E), dated 30th March, 1995, see Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II,
sec. 3(ii).
3. Ins. by Act 43 of 2003, s. 3 (w.e.f. 1-7-2004).
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(f) “appointed day” means such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, appoint for the purposes of section 3;
(g) “Authority” means the Airports Authority of India constituted under section 3;
(h) “Chairperson” means the Chairperson of the Authority appointed under clause (a) of
sub-section (3) of section 3;
(i) “civil enclave” means the area, if any, allotted at an airport belonging to any armed force of
the Union, for use by persons availing of any air transport services from such airport or for the
handling of baggage or cargo by such service, and includes land comprising of any building and
structure on such area;
(j) “heliport” means an area, either at ground level or elevated on a structure, used or intended to
be used for the landing and take-off helicopters and includes any area for parking helicopters and all
buildings and structures thereon or appertaining thereto;
(k) “International Airports Authority” means the International Airports Authority of India
constituted under section 3 of the International Airports Authority Act, 1971 (43 of 1971);
(l) “member” means a member of the Authority and includes the Chairperson, but does not
include, for the purposes of sections 4, 5, 6 and 7, an ex officio member referred to in clause (b) of
sub-section (3) of section 3;
(m) “National Airports Authority” means the National Airports Authority constituted under
section 3 of the National Airports Authority Act, 1985 (64 of 1985);
(n) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
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[(nn) ‘private airport’ means an airport owned, developed or managed by—
(i) any person or agency other than the Authority or any State Government, or
(ii) any person or agency jointly with the Authority or any State Government or both
where the share of such person or agency, as the case may be, in the assets of the private
airport is more than fifty per cent.]
(o) “regulations” means regulations made under this Act.