Indian aircrafts still carrying legacy of 'British Raj'

The prefix 'VT' stands for Victorian or Viceroy Territory, which is the nationality code that each aircraft registered in India is required to carry. The code is generally seen just before the rear exit door and above the windows.

All the domestic airlines, from IndiGo to Jet Airways have the prefix, which is followed by unique alphabets that define the aircraft and who it belongs to. For example, on all IndiGo flights the registration VT is followed by IDV, i.e VT-IDV, for Jet, it is VT-JMV.

The prefix marks that the aircraft has been registered in the country. It is mandatory in all countries. The registration of the aircraft is required to appear in its certificate of registration and an aircraft can only have one registration in one jurisdiction.

The registration is as per international laws, every aircraft must specify which country and airline it belongs to, using a unique alpha-numeric code, which is of five characters that is in IndiGo's case, VT-IDV. In simple words, the call sign or the registration code is for the identification of the aircraft.

Britain set the prefix 'VT' for India before the partition in 1929. The British set the code for all the colonies starting with V. However, countries like China, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka changed their codes later. While in India, the prefix has remained on the aircraft even after 90 years, which caused a lot of commotion in 2016 with BJP member Tarun Vijay saying that the registration number of Indian aircraft marks the legacy of 'British Raj.'

In 2004, the aviation ministry had approached the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to change the code but no decision has been taken so far, the petition added. "It is a code given to us in 1929 by British rulers, denoting us as British territory. It is very unfortunate that India, even after 75 years of Independence, retains VT, the symbol of slavery," it said.

There is no document with the International Civil Aviation Organisation to show that VT symbol on Indian planes stands for Victoria Territory, Union Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said in 2017. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, the civil aviation minister said VT symbol was allotted to India by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) before Independence and it was entered in supplement to Annex 7 since its first publication in July 1949.

A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad said courts are not supposed to change the call sign and it is the government and the lawmakers who legislate. The government is in a dilemma. In a reply to the Parliament it had stated that any change will lead to big financial implications on domestic carriers as all aircraft would have to be grounded till those codes are repainted with new registration code.