After Ajit Pawar Plane Crash, Govt Carrying Out ‘Thorough Study’ Of Non-Scheduled Operators

Last Updated:February 15, 2026, 17:05 IST

Aviation Minister confirms a thorough study of NSOPs and uncontrolled airfields after Ajit Pawar's fatal LearJet 45 crash near Baramati.

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu has said the government is conducting a “very thorough study" of flight operations by non-scheduled operators and uncontrolled airfields to survey areas where steps need to be taken.

The flight operations by Non-Scheduled Operators (NSOPs) came under increased scrutiny after the fatal crash of a VSR Ventures-owned LearJet 45 plane that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others near the Baramati airport on January 28.

Also Read: Rohit Pawar Writes To Amit Shah, Aviation Minister, Seeks Probe Into Uncle Ajit Pawar’s Plane Crash

Earlier this month, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had initiated a special safety audit of NSOPs.

PTI quoted Naidu saying that the civil aviation ministry is doing a “thorough study" of the NSOPs, as well as the uncontrolled airfields.

NSOPs are entities which do not have a fixed schedule for operators and mostly operate chartered flights. Baramati, where January 28 incident took place, is an uncontrolled airfield wherein traffic information is provided by instructors/pilots from the flying training organisations.

Also Read: Ajit Pawar Death: Fourth Deadly Crash Raises Alarm Over Aircraft Type With 40+ Accidents Worldwide

The civil aviation minister said areas where something needs to be done with respect to NSOPs and uncontrolled airfields will be looked into.

In reply to a question on whether the ministry would be looking at having a ‘too big to fail’ concept for the airlines, PTI quoted minister Rammohan Naidu saying the focus will be to boost airlines with smaller operations.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will likely release its preliminary report on the fatal accident soon.

Following the crash, the ministry in its statement said the “aircraft was cleared to land on runway 11 at 0843IST; however, they did not give a readback of the landing clearance".

“Next, the ATC saw the flames around the threshold of runway 11 at 0844 IST. The emergency services then rushed to the crash site," it had said.

News auto After Ajit Pawar Plane Crash, Govt Carrying Out ‘Thorough Study’ Of Non-Scheduled Operators

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