DGCA in full compliance with international standards: US agency
08 Jul 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States today confirmed that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is working in full compliance with international civil aviation standards and that India continues to remain in Category-1 status of FAA's International Aviation Safety Assessment Programme (IASA).
Before permitting a foreign airline to operate in the US, the FAA, backed by the US legislation, conducts an audit of the concerned country's civil aviation authority to ensure its capability for providing safety certification and continuing oversight on its international carriers.
The audit is conducted under an 'International Aviation Safety Assessment Programme' (IASA) and focuses on the country's ability to adhere to standards and recommended practices of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for aircraft operations and maintenance.
Under the IASA programme, FAA in the year 1997 had conducted an audit of DGCA India wherein they had awarded Category-1 status to India. This year, in March 2009, FAA, based on the report of an audit conducted by ICAO in October 2006, conducted a reassessment of DGCA. While the FAA's IASA team found India to be compliant in areas of aviation legislation, operating regulations, civil aviation structure and safety oversight functions, and licensing and certification obligations, it raised concerns in the areas of adequate technical guidance for DGCA inspectors, hiring and retaining technical personnel in DGCA, establishment of an on-going surveillance programme of air operators and the resolution of identified safety issues.
DGCA was required to rectify the concerns in the identified areas in a short time frame of about five months. Repercussions of non-action could have resulted in India being downgraded to Category 2 status from the Category 1, which has been held by India since 1997.
Under Category 2, no expansion/ changes to the services of Indian air carriers would have been permitted by the US and the existing operations would have been subjected to 'heightened FAA surveillance'. Such a downgrade would not only have resulted in an economic impact to the nation but would also have been a setback to India's image worldwide in ICAO, EU, USA and in the international aviation community.
