Government approves New Air Travel Policy for Railway Officers, Check New Rules and Details

The Indian Railways has rolled out a revised policy for air travel during official tours, bringing in key changes to streamline approvals, cut delays, and align with government norms. Let’s have a look at the new policies approved by Indian Railways.

The policy applies to: All Indian Railways officers (Zonal, Construction, Training Institutes), Railway Board officials, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under Railways (like IRCTC, RITES, IRCON).

Why the Policy is Changed?

Air travel for railway officers has always been governed by strict rules to control costs. However, the old system often led to delays due to multiple approvals. The new policy, effective from April 29, 2025, aims to Speed up approvals by decentralizing decision-making, Ensure cost discipline by capping reimbursements, Bring uniformity with the Government of India’s travel policies.

Key Changes in the Revised Policy

1. Who Can Approve Air Travel Now?

Previously, air travel sanctions were centralized, causing delays. Under the new rules:

For Zonal Railways & Construction Units:

• PHODs, CHODs, DRMs, and DG-level officers can now approve air travel for their teams.
• No finance clearance needed for Level-14 and above officers.
• Finance approval required for Level-13 and below.

For Railway Board Officers:

• Only Additional Members (AMs) and Principal Executive Directors (PEDs) can approve air travel.
• Finance concurrence mandatory for officers below Director level.

What will be the Impact: The new policy provides Faster approvals for senior officers, but juniors still need finance clearance.

2. Travel Class Eligibility

Now Railways officers are entitled to travel class as per their grade. Level 13 and below officers are entitled for economy class whereas Level 14 and above officers are entitled for business class.

• Economy Class: For Level-13 and below.
• Business/Club Class: For Level-14 and above (as per Ministry of Finance guidelines).

3. Self-Declaration Rule

Officers must now submit a self-certification stating that no Group C staff (junior employees) traveled with them on the same flight. This has been done to prevent misuse where junior staff unnecessarily fly with seniors which increases costs of travel.

4. Reimbursement Rules

Railway Officers are also entitled for reimbursement of airfare but the reimbursement amount will be the lower of Actual airfare, or Three times the train fare of your entitled class. Example: If flight ticket is Rs.8000 but cost of train ticket is Rs.2000 then maximum reimbursement will be Rs.6000.

5. No Extra Budget Allocated

The new policy has strictly asked Departments to manage air travel expenses within existing budgets. No additional funds will be provided.

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