A bill that would enhance compensation for air travellers in case of death, injury, lost baggage or even inordinate delay in flights was passed by the Rajya Sabha with some changes. It was cleared by the Lok Sabha in December last year. Since the Rajya Sabha has made changes, the revised bill would again go to the Lower House. Once the legislation is implemented, Indian airlines would be required to pay compensation amount that is equivalent to the rates paid by their global counterparts.

The legislation would allow the government to revise the liability limits of airlines in line with the Montreal Convention, which was acceded to by India in May 2009. Piloting the bill in the Rajya Sabha, civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said it would bring legislative character to international character with respect to compensation for air passengers.

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Did You Know?

• American aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright (The Wright Brothers), are believed to be have created the first successful airplane.
• Unmanned aircraft controlled remotely or by computers are known as drones.
• There have only been two commercial aircraft capable of supersonic transport, the most well known of these was the Concorde which flew between major cities such as London, New York and Paris until 2003.
• Some aircraft (usually military or experimental) are capable of supersonic flight (breaking the sound barrier) by traveling at speeds faster than sound (1235kph, 768mph).