Aircraft Broker India: DGCA, NSOP and Licence Rules

India has no licence called “aircraft broker” or “charter broker” that we could find. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) licenses the companies that fly charters, through a Non-Scheduled Operator’s Permit (NSOP). It also controls aircraft registration and import. We read the DGCA rules that govern these and found none that names brokers, agents or intermediaries. So this page sets out what we could confirm from government documents, what we could not, and what to ask the DGCA before you trade.

It covers private jet charter brokers and aircraft sales brokers working in or into India. It is not legal or tax advice. For the US position, see our US licence guide. For what a broker does and how that differs from an operator, see what a private jet broker is.

Key points

The Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024 replaced the Aircraft Act, 1934. Rules made under the old Act, including the Aircraft Rules, 1937, carry over where consistent with the new Act.
Under Rule 134A of the Aircraft Rules, an Indian air transport undertaking needs a Non-Scheduled Operator’s Permit to run any non-scheduled service, including charters. The detail is in DGCA CAR Section 3, Series C, Part III.
We found no DGCA rule that requires a broker to hold an NSOP, or that bars a non-holder from arranging a charter with a permit holder. We also found none that expressly allows it.
Foreign-registered aircraft on non-scheduled flights need DGCA clearance, requested through a DGCA-enrolled flight clearing agency, and may not carry passengers between two points in India.
For sales brokers, there is no broker licence we could find. Registration runs through DGCA, and imports need DGCA permission and, for private aircraft, a DGFT import licence.
GST on air passenger transport is 5% in economy and 18% otherwise from 22 September 2025. We found no official source that classifies a whole-aircraft private charter.

The legal framework

The Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024 (Act No. 16 of 2024) received the President’s assent on 11 December 2024. It regulates the “design, manufacture, maintenance, possession, use, operation, sale, export and import of aircraft” (Gazette of India, 11 December 2024). A reproduction of the Act records that it came into force on 1 January 2025 under notification S.O. 5646(E). We did not read that notification in the Gazette itself.

Section 43 repeals the Aircraft Act, 1934. It also provides that any rule, licence, permission or approval made or granted under the old Act continues, “in so far as it is not inconsistent” with the new one. So the Aircraft Rules, 1937 and the DGCA’s Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) still apply. We could not confirm that any new rules under the 2024 Act have replaced the 1937 Rules.

One detail is worth knowing. Section 10 lets the government regulate air transport tariffs, and its definition of “tariff” includes the terms “of commission payable to passenger or cargo sales agents”. That is a power to regulate agents’ commission. We found no rule made under it that licenses charter brokers.

Who needs a Non-Scheduled Operator’s Permit

The NSOP CAR opens with the rule. Sub-rule (2) of Rule 134A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937 says no air transport service, other than a scheduled one, “shall be operated by an Indian air transport undertaking unless it holds a Non-Scheduled Operator’s Permit” (CAR Section 3, Series C, Part III). The version we read is Issue II of 1 June 2010, with revisions up to Rev. 7 of 21 May 2021, hosted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The DGCA circulated a draft Issue III in 2022 and, according to a compliance news service (secondary source), draft amendments in March 2024. We could not confirm whether a new issue is now in force, so check the DGCA’s CAR list.

What the 2010 CAR says matters for brokers:

Non-scheduled includes charter. A “charter operation” is one where departure time and places “are specially negotiated and agreed with the customer or the customer’s representative for entire aircraft”, and no ticket is sold to individual passengers.
Seats and whole aircraft. An NSOP holder may carry passengers per seat, by chartering the whole aircraft, or both. It may sell individual seats on a series of domestic flights but may not publish a timetable.
Who can hold one. An Indian citizen, or a company registered in India whose chairman and at least two-thirds of directors are Indian citizens and whose “substantial ownership and effective control” is Indian, with foreign investment allowed within government policy.
What it takes. At least one India-registered aircraft, owned or dry-leased. Rev. 7 listed minimum paid-up capital of Rs 2 crore for up to two aircraft, an application fee of Rs 1,75,000 and renewal every five years for Rs 2,50,000. These figures may have changed since 2021.
Not transferable. The CAR says an NSOP “shall not be transferable”.

Does a charter broker need an NSOP?

We found no rule that says so. The NSOP CAR governs who may operate a non-scheduled service. It does not mention brokers, agents or resellers, and neither does the 2022 draft. The closest it comes is the phrase “the customer’s representative” in the charter definition, which recognises that someone other than the passenger may agree the charter. That is not a licensing rule.

We also found no DGCA CAR or circular that restricts a person without an NSOP from selling charter seats or whole-aircraft charters operated by a permit holder. Equally, we found nothing that expressly permits it. In plain terms: we found no rule either way.

What is clear is the line you must not cross. Operating a non-scheduled air transport service without an NSOP breaks Rule 134A. A broker who controls the aircraft and crew, or presents itself as the operator, risks being treated as one. Name the permit holder that will fly the trip, check its permit, and keep your role in writing. Our charter operator due diligence guide covers the checks, using US and UK examples.

Foreign aircraft and flight clearing agencies

Many India trips use foreign-registered jets. DGCA CAR Section 3, Series F, Part I (Issue II, effective 15 December 2017) says a foreign aircraft operator must get DGCA approval before a non-scheduled flight into, from or over India (CAR Section 3, Series F, Part I, copy hosted by a law firm). Two rules affect brokers directly:

No domestic legs. Such flights “are not permitted to pick-up passengers/cargo at any place in India for disembarkation at any other place in India”. A foreign jet cannot be sold for a Delhi to Mumbai leg.
Clearing agencies. Requests for a foreign aircraft “can only be submitted through designated flight clearance agencies enrolled by DGCA”, with narrow exceptions.

A clearing agency is the one broker-like role the DGCA does enrol. To qualify, a company must be registered in India with a majority of Indian-citizen directors, list obtaining flight clearances among its objects, have someone with five years’ aviation experience on the board or staff, and pass Ministry of Home Affairs security clearance. Many charter brokers will never need this. Those who want to handle permits themselves should read the current issue of the CAR.

Recent scrutiny of non-scheduled operators

In February 2026, after a rise in incidents, the DGCA announced tighter oversight of non-scheduled operators. All India Radio reported on 25 February 2026 that operators must publicly disclose aircraft age, maintenance history and pilot experience, and that the regulator will introduce safety rankings (News On AIR). We did not find the DGCA circular that puts this into effect. If it is published, it gives brokers a public way to vet the operators they book.

GST on charter

CBIC Notification No. 15/2025-Central Tax (Rate), dated 17 September 2025, changed GST rates on services with effect from 22 September 2025 (Notification 15/2025-CT(R), copy hosted by a professional body). The Finance Ministry’s FAQ explains the result for air travel: “if travel is by economy class then rate of GST is 5% otherwise the GST rate will be 18%” (PIB, 3 September 2025).

Neither source names private or whole-aircraft charter, and neither covers a broker’s own commission. We could not confirm how either is classified. Ask a GST adviser before you quote prices that include tax.

Sales brokers: registration and import

We found no licence for people who broker aircraft sales in India. The paperwork that matters belongs to the buyer and seller, and a broker should know it.

Registration

DGCA CAR Section 2, Series F, Part I covers registration and deregistration (copy at Rev. 8, 13 June 2017, hosted by IFSCA; later revisions exist). Key points:

Registration is for safety control and “in no way establishes the legal ownership of an aircraft”. Title disputes go to the courts.
Aircraft are registered in Category A (Indian citizens or companies, among others) or Category B (non-citizens resident or doing business in India). An aircraft validly registered in another country cannot be registered in India.
On a sale, the registered owner must notify the DGCA. The new owner applies on Form CA-28 with a notarised affidavit from the seller confirming the sale and full payment. Until the new certificate issues, the aircraft may not fly without the DGCA’s written permission.
An aircraft being flown into India can get a temporary certificate valid until its first landing at a customs aerodrome.

Import

DGCA Air Transport Circular 02/2017 (Rev. 2, 4 February 2019) sets the procedure for importing or locally acquiring aircraft (ATC 02/2017, copy hosted by a law firm). The DGCA’s Directorate of Air Transport issues an in-principle approval. For aircraft imported for private use, the DGCA then recommends an import licence from the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Other categories, such as NSOP aircraft, need no DGFT licence. The NSOP CAR adds that an aircraft imported for NSOP use may not be sold to a private user in India without customs clearance. That matters when you broker a used charter aircraft to a private buyer.

For the sale process itself, from letter of intent to closing, see how an aircraft sale closes.

What to ask the DGCA

Write to the DGCA’s Directorate of Air Transport with a short description of your model, and keep the reply. Useful questions:

Does arranging charters with NSOP holders, as a named intermediary, require any permit or approval?
May I sell individual seats on an NSOP holder’s flights, or only whole-aircraft charters?
Which issue of CAR Section 3, Series C, Part III is in force today?
For foreign aircraft, must I use an enrolled flight clearing agency, or may the operator apply directly?
For a sale, which DGCA and DGFT steps apply to this aircraft and buyer category?

Ask a GST adviser how your commission and the charter price are taxed. If you plan to fly charters yourself, our guide to starting a charter brokerage explains why most new firms broker first.

How this compares to the US (Part 295)

The US has a federal rule written for charter brokers, 14 CFR Part 295, which sets disclosure duties and bars brokers from posing as operators. India has no equivalent we could find: the DGCA regulates the operator through the NSOP and is silent on brokers. See our US licence guide and what Part 295 requires you to disclose.

Where training fits

No course gives you a permit, and no certificate is a licence in India. Training can teach how operators, quotes, clearances and sale documents work, which helps you ask the DGCA the right questions. IABI, which publishes this guide, sells broker courses; our courses compared page sets out every provider by the same criteria.

Free from IABI · IABI publishes this guide

Want to talk it through before you spend anything?

IABI runs a free webinar on how to become an aircraft broker, and offers a free one-to-one consultation. Both are a way to ask questions and judge the teaching for yourself before paying for any course.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need a licence to be an aircraft broker in India?

We found no DGCA licence for charter or sales brokers. The operator that flies a charter must hold a Non-Scheduled Operator’s Permit. Ask the DGCA to confirm in writing that your model needs no approval.

What is an NSOP?

A Non-Scheduled Operator’s Permit. Under Rule 134A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, an Indian undertaking needs one to run any non-scheduled air transport service, including charters. CAR Section 3, Series C, Part III sets the requirements.

Can a foreign private jet fly a domestic charter in India?

No. DGCA’s flight clearance CAR says foreign non-scheduled flights may not pick up passengers at one place in India and drop them at another. Domestic legs need an Indian NSOP holder.

Is the Aircraft Act, 1934 still in force?

No. The Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024 repealed it. Rules and permits made under the old Act continue where consistent with the new one, so the Aircraft Rules, 1937 and DGCA CARs still apply.

Sources

Government and regulator documents are listed first. Every source below was checked on 17 October 2026. Where we read a regulator’s document on another site, the list says so.

Aircraft Broker Rules in India