Only 6 Air Sports Operators Are Authorised In The Country To Provide Skydiving, Hot Air Balloon Paragliding Services, Confirms Civil Aviation Ministry
Mumbai: India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has confirmed that only six air sports operators are officially authorised to conduct non-scheduled passenger and aerial work operations, including hot air balloon rides, motor gliding and skydiving. The revelation highlights tight regulatory oversight by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) at a time when unlicensed recreational…
India's Ministry of Civil Aviation has confirmed that only six air sports operators are officially licensed to conduct non-scheduled passenger and aerial operations, including hot air balloon rides, motor gliding, and skydiving. This revelation underscores the rigorous regulatory oversight by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) amid a proliferation of unlicensed recreational aviation activities in popular tourism hotspots.
The clarification emerged during a recent Lok Sabha session in response to a parliamentary question by MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy about the implementation of national air sports regulations.
The Ministry cited the National Air Sport Guidelines, 2023, which replaced the 2022 policy, as the governing framework for air sports operations. This framework, administered by the Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI), sets safety, security, flight permission, and licensing standards nationwide. Three operators are authorized for passenger air sports activities: E-Factor Adventure Tourism operates nine hot air balloons, Rajas Aerosports and Adventure has two balloons, and Aryan Aviation flies two motor gliders.
Similarly, three operators are permitted for aerial work: Global Konnect Aviation Services operates two P68C aircraft, Go Forth Adventures has one Cessna 182P, and Macsen Aviation utilizes one GA-8 aircraft, all for skydiving purposes.
DGCA enforces stringent airworthiness guidelines for regulated equipment such as gliders, microlights, light sports aircraft, gyroplanes, and balloons, as per the Aircraft Rules, 1937. In the fiscal year 2025-26, the regulator issued 12 special airworthiness certificates, conducted three safety audits, and launched a targeted surveillance drive.
Despite the stringent regulations, dozens of unlicensed regional operators offering tandem paragliding, joyrides, and parasailing operate without DGCA certification. However, the aviation authorities emphasized that enforcement measures, including penalties, suspensions, and operational cancellations, remain active under the NASG 2023 framework to combat unauthorized operations.
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