How does the DGCA CAR differ from ICAO Annex 14?
For airfield lighting the CAR follows the Annex paragraph by paragraph. What differs is the legal route, where India’s filed differences are published, how current each text is, and the airport documents that sit on top.
ICAO Annex 14 Volume I is the global baseline. It sets out Standards and Recommended Practices, and each State puts them into its own rules and notifies any difference to ICAO under Article 38 of the Chicago Convention.
DGCA CAR Section 4 Series B Part I is India’s national regulation for aerodrome design and operations. Its paragraphs follow the Annex 14 numbering, so a CAR paragraph can be read against the matching Annex paragraph.
India’s filed differences are not inside the CAR table of contents. They are published in AIP India, GEN 1.7. Expect the same engineering intent in the lighting paragraphs, and expect a different edition date between the two texts.
- Identify the airport and the design date. Revisions and supplements change over time.
- Find the CAR paragraph. Start from the Annex 14 subject and note the CAR revision.
- Find the matching Annex paragraph. Note the amendment number you compare against.
- Check AIP GEN 1.7. It is where India’s differences from ICAO are listed.
- Check the airport supplement and tender. Record the choice in the design basis.
“CAR Section 4 Series B Part I, para 8, Table 8-1, revision and date” beside “Annex 14 Vol I, Amendment 18” lets any reviewer repeat your comparison.
A value may match the Annex yet miss an Indian difference, an airport supplement or an owner’s stricter requirement.
Side by side, row by row
Ten points an AGL engineer meets in practice. The last column shows whether you can treat the two as the same or need to read both.
| Parameter | ICAO Annex 14 Vol I | DGCA CAR | In practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) in an Annex to the Chicago Convention, adopted by the ICAO Council. Volume I is in its ninth edition. | The Civil Aviation Requirements issued by DGCA. Aerodrome lighting sits in CAR Section 4 Series B Part I, Aerodrome Design & Operations. | Form differs |
| Who it binds | Contracting States. A State that cannot comply with a Standard notifies ICAO of the difference (Article 38). It does not bind an operator directly. | Aerodrome operators in India, through national regulation and aerodrome licensing. | Check |
| Paragraph numbering | Numbered chapters: visual aids 5, obstacle marking 6, electrical systems 8. | The same numbering in the paragraphs checked for Entry 21: lights in 5.3, secondary power in paragraph 8. | Aligned |
| Light types and layouts | Approach, runway, taxiway, stop bar and apron lights, with spacing and patterns in the visual aids chapter. | Read from the same chapter 5 paragraphs. Confirm each value against the CAR revision in force before relying on this. | Aligned |
| Secondary power | Electrical systems chapter, with Table 8-1 giving maximum switch-over times per lighting aid. | Table 8-1 of paragraph 8. AIP Supplement 204/2025 for Bhopal cites it for Category II operations. | Aligned |
| Recording differences | The State notifies ICAO of differences from Standards and is invited to notify differences from Recommended Practices that matter for safety. | India files differences on ICAO’s EFOD system and publishes them in AIP India, GEN 1.7, based on the DGCA India-ICAO Annex Management Manual. | Check |
| Which differences are listed | Every Standard is in scope for notification. | GEN 1.7 lists differences to Standards that affect aircraft operations and the provision of facilities and services. The text reviewed for this page showed no lighting-specific entry under Annex 14 Volume I. Confirm in the current AIP. | Check |
| Amendment currency | Amendment 18 became applicable on 27 November 2025 for aerodrome design, visual aids and apron management; ground handling follows on 26 November 2026 and obstacle limitation surfaces on 21 November 2030. | GEN 1.7 in the February 2025 eAIP lists Annex 14 Volume I up to Amendment 17. DGCA issued a draft CAR amendment on 4 October 2025, comments due 3 November 2025. | Check |
| Airport-specific procedures | Not set by the Annex. | Set in AIP Supplements for the aerodrome, such as low visibility procedures. A supplement cites the CAR and does not replace it. | Form differs |
| Owner requirements | Outside the Annex. | The tender and aerodrome manual can add detail or a stricter value. Ask the operator which governs where they disagree. | Check |
Where to look for each kind of difference
A difference can sit in one of several places. Use this map to find the right document for the question you have. For the CAR itself, open the DGCA CAR lighting requirements entry.
ICAO side
- The Standard or Recommended Practice itselfAnnex 14 Vol I
- Duty to notify differencesArticle 38
- Visual aids for navigationChapter 5
- Electrical systemsChapter 8
- Latest amendment for aerodromesAmendment 18
India side
- The national requirementCAR Sec 4 Series B Pt I
- Differences from ICAOAIP GEN 1.7
- Airport-specific proceduresAIP Supplements
- Switch-over timesPara 8, Table 8-1
- Owner’s own requirementsTender, manual
ICAO moves first, the CAR follows
ICAO amendments reach the Annex first, and India takes them into the CAR and GEN 1.7 on its own schedule. For a period the texts can disagree. That gap is not an error, so check where your project stands.
- CARNEXT
The comment period on the draft below closed on 3 Nov 2025, and a final text had not been confirmed when this page was checked in November 2026. Check DGCA’s CAR page for it, and AIP GEN 1.7 for any difference India keeps against Amendment 18. The GEN 1.7 reviewed here is the February 2025 eAIP, so a later AIRAC may have updated it.
- AMDT18
Harmonises lighting for Category II operations below 350 m. In the lighting paragraphs the RVR trigger moves from 350 m to 300 m, for example for taxiway centre line lights and intermediate holding position lights. Ground handling provisions apply from 26 Nov 2026 and obstacle limitation surface changes from 21 Nov 2030. Whether and how India has taken each change is for the CAR and GEN 1.7 to say.
- DRAFTCAR
Draft amendment to CAR Section 4 Series B Part I. Adds a definition of ground handling and, in Chapter 3, apron design criteria for safe ground handling.
- AMDT17
The AIP India differences list reviewed for this page covers Annex 14 Volume I up to and including Amendment 17 and Volume II up to Amendment 9.
Your project decides, not the document
The same lighting design can be assessed against different texts depending on the aerodrome and the contract.
Licensed aerodrome in India
Design to the CAR, read with GEN 1.7, the airport’s supplements and the owner’s specification. Annex 14 is the baseline, not the contract text.
Tender cites Annex 14 only
Compare against the CAR as well, and ask the client which text wins where the two disagree.
Tender cites both
Take the stricter reading of each parameter, note the CAR revision and Annex amendment, and record the choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1Is the DGCA CAR the same as ICAO Annex 14?
In the paragraphs checked for this encyclopedia the CAR follows the Annex 14 numbering and subject order, so the two read side by side. They are still different documents. Annex 14 is ICAO text that States agree to follow. The CAR is India's national regulation, issued by DGCA, and it binds aerodrome operators in India. India's filed differences from ICAO are published in AIP India, GEN 1.7.
Q2Where does India record its differences from Annex 14?
In AIP India, GEN 1.7, published by the Airports Authority of India. GEN 1.7 says the ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices are followed in India subject to differences filed from time to time. It lists differences to Standards that affect aircraft operations and the provision of facilities and services, based on the DGCA India-ICAO Annex Management Manual, and the differences are notified and validated on ICAO's Electronic Filing of Differences system (EFOD).
Q3Does the CAR lag behind the latest Annex 14 amendment?
It can. ICAO Amendment 18 to Annex 14 Volume I became applicable on 27 November 2025 for aerodrome design, visual aids and apron management (ground handling from 26 November 2026). The GEN 1.7 text reviewed for this page, from the February 2025 eAIP, lists Annex 14 Volume I up to and including Amendment 17, and DGCA issued a draft CAR amendment on 4 October 2025 with comments due by 3 November 2025. Check the current CAR revision and GEN 1.7 before assuming India has taken a given amendment.
Q4Which is stricter for airfield lighting, the CAR or Annex 14?
Neither is stricter as a rule, and this entry does not claim a paragraph-level difference that it has not verified. Compare the CAR paragraph with the matching Annex 14 paragraph for the amendment you are using, then read GEN 1.7, the AIP supplement for the airport and the tender. Where they disagree, ask the aerodrome operator which governs and record the answer in the design basis.
Q5Do I need to cite Annex 14 if the project is in India?
Cite the CAR as the governing text, with its revision and date. Cite Annex 14 with its amendment number when the tender names it, or when you are showing that a CAR value matches the ICAO baseline. A bare paragraph number is ambiguous because both texts are revised over time.
Q6What if my design departs from the CAR?
Do not rely on the departure until it is agreed with DGCA and recorded. Departures from ICAO are a different matter: they are for the State to file and publish in GEN 1.7. An individual project cannot create an ICAO difference by itself, so route the question through the aerodrome operator and the regulator.
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