Who Can File an Appeal Against a Rejected AAI Height Clearance NOC?

Builders, architects, and property owners who plan a project near a civil airport in India must secure height clearance before construction begins. When the Designated Officer of the Airports Authority of India restricts or rejects the requested height, the applicant is not without recourse. An Airports Authority of India NOC appeal allows the applicant to challenge the decision before the Appellate Committee and seek a revised height clearance.

This guide explains who is eligible to file an appeal, the step-by-step process, the documents required, and the common mistakes that delay or derail an appeal. Whether you are a developer in Mumbai, an architect in Bengaluru, or a property owner near a smaller regional airport, understanding the AAI NOC appeal process in India protects your project timeline and your investment.

What is an AAI NOC?

An AAI NOC, or No Objection Certificate for height clearance, is a mandatory approval issued by the Designated Officer of the Airports Authority of India under the Height Restrictions for Safeguarding of Aircraft Operations Rules, 2015 (GSR 751(E), dated 30 September 2015), notified under the Aircraft Act. The certificate confirms that a proposed building, tower, chimney, transmission line, or mast does not intrude into the Obstacle Limitation Surfaces that protect the approach, take-off, and navigation paths around an aerodrome.

Applications are filed through the No Objection Certificate Application System, known as NOCAS, which is AAI’s online portal. Each application is examined by a NOC Committee at the regional or station level before the Designated Officer issues a decision. If the requested top elevation exceeds the permissible height under the applicable Colour Coded Zoning Map or Obstacle Limitation Surface, the Designated Officer may reduce the height or reject the application outright. This is the point at which an Airports Authority of India NOC appeal becomes necessary.

AAI operates nine NOC offices headed by Designated Officers, with regional headquarters at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Guwahati exercising jurisdiction over the airports under their administrative control, and other regional offices such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Nagpur covering a defined radius around each airport. Knowing which regional office and Designated Officer handled the original application is useful, since the same office typically implements the Appellate Committee’s decision once the appeal is resolved.

Who Can File an Appeal?

An appeal against a rejected or restricted AAI NOC can be filed by the same applicant who submitted the original application or by an authorised representative acting on their behalf. The eligibility checklist below covers the parties who are typically permitted to file.

Eligibility Checklist

• The registered owner or developer of the plot who applied for the original NOC
• A builder or promoter holding a valid power of attorney or authorisation letter from the landowner
• An architect, engineer, or licensed surveyor engaged by the applicant, provided they are authorised to act on the applicant’s behalf
• A government body, local authority, CPWD or State PWD, or Railways and MES entity that applied in its own capacity
• A telecom operator or SACFA applicant whose mast height was reduced during processing
• An AAI NOC appeal consultant appointed by the applicant to manage documentation and liaise with AAI Corporate Headquarters

The appeal must relate to a NOC application that has already been rejected or where the granted height is lower than what was requested. An applicant cannot use the appeal route to introduce an entirely new project or site that was not part of the original application.

Appeal Process

The steps below outline the standard sequence for filing an Airports Authority of India NOC appeal through NOCAS. In some cases the Appellate Committee may direct that an aeronautical or shielding study be carried out before a final decision is made, particularly where the site is close to a runway centreline or where existing structures in the vicinity may already shield the proposed building from affecting flight paths. Where a study is ordered, the applicant is generally required to sign an agreement for the study and bear the associated cost.

Step-by-Step Guidance

• Step 1: Log in to the applicant’s registered NOCAS dashboard using the same credentials used for the original NOC application.
• Step 2: Locate the rejected or restricted NOC application and select the appeal or review option against that specific application ID.
• Step 3: Pay the appeal fee. For offline appeals, payment must be made through NEFT or RTGS into the AAI bank account, since demand drafts and cheques are no longer accepted.
• Step 4: Upload scanned copies of the required supporting documents before submitting the appeal online.
• Step 5: Send the original hard copy documents by post to the General Manager, Airports Authority of India, Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, Safdarjung Airport, New Delhi 110003.
• Step 6: AAI Corporate Headquarters reviews the appeal and, where necessary, forwards it for an aeronautical or shielding study.
• Step 7: The Appellate Committee evaluates the case and communicates its decision to the Designated Officer of the concerned airport.
• Step 8: The Designated Officer issues a revised NOC letter reflecting the outcome of the appeal.

Timeline for Appeals

AAI does not publish a single fixed statutory timeline for disposing of appeals, since the duration depends on whether an aeronautical or shielding study is required and how quickly the original documents reach AAI Corporate Headquarters after the online submission. In practice, straightforward appeals that do not require a fresh study are generally reviewed within a few weeks of the Appellate Committee’s sitting, while appeals requiring a detailed aeronautical study can take considerably longer because they involve coordination between AAI Corporate Headquarters, the Designated Officer, and the technical assessment team.

Applicants should track appeal status directly on the NOCAS dashboard and follow up with the CHQ NOC section by email if there is no update within a reasonable period. Given the unpredictability of these timelines, many applicants engage Complyn Advisory Services to monitor the NOCAS dashboard on their behalf, maintain regular follow-up with the CHQ NOC section, and flag any delays early helping ensure the appeal doesn’t stall simply due to a missed status update or unanswered query.

Required Documents

The following documents are generally required when filing an appeal:

• Copy of the valid NOC letter previously issued by the Designated Officer
• Site elevation and coordinates certificate prepared in WGS-84 format by a Survey of India agency, an AAI empanelled survey firm, or another authorised professional
• Proposed location plan, elevation plan, and layout plan showing coordinates of all corners of the site and, where applicable, of each building on the plot
• Justification for the requested height, supported by the government or local body regulation under which that height is permissible
• Undertaking on Form 1D, executed on non-judicial stamp paper
• Proof of payment of the applicable appeal fee through NEFT or RTGS
• Authorisation letter or power of attorney where the appeal is filed by a representative, architect, or AAI NOC appeal consultant rather than the original applicant

Discrepancies between the uploaded documents and the details entered in the online application are a common reason for delay, so every figure and coordinate should be cross-checked before submission.

Common Filing Mistakes

• Filing the appeal as a new application instead of against the original rejected NOC application ID
• Submitting site coordinates that do not match the certificate issued by the surveying agency
• Sending original documents to the wrong AAI office or address
• Missing the Form 1D undertaking or using an incorrect stamp paper value
• Paying the fee by cheque or demand draft instead of NEFT or RTGS for offline appeals
• Assuming the appeal automatically pauses construction timelines, when in fact no construction should proceed until a valid or revised NOC is in hand
• Not engaging an experienced AAI NOC appeal consultant for cases involving an aeronautical or shielding study, where technical documentation is more demanding

FAQs

Conclusion

A rejected or height-restricted NOC does not have to end a project near an airport. Filing a well-documented Airports Authority of India NOC appeal, with accurate coordinates, complete supporting documents, and a clear justification for the requested height, gives builders, architects, and property owners a genuine path to a revised clearance.

Because the process involves coordination between NOCAS, AAI Corporate Headquarters, and the Appellate Committee, many applicants prefer to work with an experienced AAI NOC appeal consultant who understands the documentation standards and can track the appeal through to resolution. Complyn Advisory Services brings this exact expertise, helping applicants prepare technically sound appeal documentation, coordinate with the relevant authorities, and follow the case through each stage until a revised clearance is secured.